Nina Hunter
by star-eyed-rambler
Summary: Nina Hunter has always been a bit odd but when her dreams begin to tell her she's been chosen by the Valar and she leaves her entire world behind Nina will have to accept the plans that have been made for her and try to find a place to call home in Middle Earth. Legolas/OC
1. Chapter 1

AN: I recently reread the LOTR books and decided to take a crack at this idea that's been in my head for a while. Reviews are appreciated and if anyone wants to Beta for me PM me. Happy Reading and look for weekly updates!

Disclaimer- I do not own anything from LOTR.

Chapter 1- In The Beginning

In the 45 seconds between the doors of the hospital and being placed in the car carrier her father really hoped was locked in place correctly Nina fell in love with the open air. It was unseasonably warm for early March in New England and the smell of fresh rain was still hanging in the air from the shower the night before. Of course being all of three days old prevented her from expressing her discontent at being put inside in any way but whimpering when the door was shut and the wind no longer touched her face. The small sound had him checking in the mirror for her constantly as if he was afraid she'd disappear.

Before her birth Nina's father, Allard was not a worrier. Then again, before Nina's birth he had thought his wife would be there to take the lead in parenting. The car crash three days ago that led to their baby being born a week early also took his wife from him. Though he knew she was gone the shock hadn't quite left him yet and he clung to it, trying to keep it together for the little girl who was all he had left of her mother. She was beautiful; she'd been born with a full head of completely black hair and large place green eyes that looked far more intelligent than any newborn had the right to be. The ride home form the hospital was nerve-racking for the new father who desperately wanted to get his baby out of the city and into the safety of his suburban home as soon as possible.

In the weeks to follow Allard tried to balance the responsibilities of unexpectedly being a single parent and keeping up with the work which was backing up while he stayed home with her. Eventually he admitted defeat and hired a nanny to be with her for a few days a week while he went to work. Nina's mother never wanted the baby to go to daycare or have a nanny but Allard couldn't see another option if he was going to keep making a decent income. He was lucky that the PR firm he worked at was willing to let him work from home twice a week considering his circumstances. By the time Nina turned one the nanny Mary had moved in and become a part of their makeshift family. Nina's first word had been Da followed by a mangled baby version of grandma which she directed at Mary. It was Mary who suggested putting a skylight in the baby's room to keep her from crying out when she was forced inside. Nina, they both discovered very early on, was in love with being outside. Instead of setting her in front of the television to watch those baby movies with too many primary colors Mary or Allard would carry her to the porch facing the woods behind the old house and point out the different plants and animals.

Nina's entire baby vocabulary was filled with words like bunny, deer, fox, squirrel, chipmunk and bird. She'd squeal in excitement whenever she saw something nearby on the grass and whimper in disappointment when her noises scared them away. Mary would always tell her "Be still Nina. Don't startle them. If you are patient they'll come to you" Not ten minutes later a rabbit was at most five feel away from Nina's hand munching on the carrots shed tossed on the ground earlier.

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At age six Nina was getting into little fights at school, mostly with bigger kids who were picking on the girls and boys smaller than them. Nina's innate sense of right and wrong wouldn't let her sit by as they made the other children cry so she got in the middle and made herself the target. When Allard found out he spent all night doing research and the next morning instead of going to the state park as they did every Saturday Allard dropped Nina off at the best martial arts studio in the area. "If you're going to fight I want you to be the one who comes out of it unharmed. Besides, a little discipline wouldn't go amiss".

For her tenth birthday Allard helped Nina build a tree house in the large oak tree just out of view from the house. He'd wanted to wait until she was older but she'd been climbing the trees behind their home for years and he'd rather she be in something sturdy than give him another heart attack falling from a weak branch as she had the week before. Shockingly, she'd only gotten a few large cuts on her shorts clad legs but he'd still taken her to the hospital. She sat in the emergency room looking around curiously and wrinkling her nose at the antiseptic smell and in that moment decided that when she grew up she was going to be like the lady fixing her leg- only maybe she would do it somewhere where it smelled better.

When Nina turned 13 her father gave her an archery set. When she'd asked for it a few months previously Allard had laughed as his odd little girl just kept getting stranger by the day. She'd told him that she'd tried it at the camp she'd been at the summer before and wanted to actually learn how to do it. So, bow and arrows in hand Allard had found her an instructor who was willing to come by the house once a week and teach her how not to kill herself with the old style weapon. Only a few months later Mary brought her to her first horseback riding lesson. The instructor laughed when Nina enjoyed brushing and caring for the animals more than actually riding them but as time wore on she was becoming a proficient rider and was even starting to help train some of the younger girls.

Nina was 15 when she discovered books. Within months she'd devoured every bit of the written word Allard had in the house and had gotten her own library card. Being the slightly odd child that she was the other children her age at school were not overly accepting. Sure, she had a few friends from her classes who had gotten so used to her that they were largely immune to her antics and she'd spent many a weekend watching movie marathons with them but she didn't truly identify with a group like so many of her peers did. Most afternoons found Nina walking to the library from school and cloistering herself in one of the chairs on the roof of the flat topped building reading whatever her hands fell upon. Fantasies, biographies, or mysteries it did not matter. She'd just finished the Tolkien books the week before and was now working on a book about the American Revolution.

The December before her 17th birthday the second car accident of Nina's life occurred. She, Mary, and Allard were driving north with plans to go skiing for the weekend when the tuck came around the corner and skidded on the ice towards them. Their little sedan was hit head-on by the out of control truck and the next thing Nina remembered was waking in the hospital. She knew where she was before she opened her eyes, the over clean smell making her stomach churn.

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She heard a woman holding what appeared to be a phone conversation judging from the one sided words. "-in surgery does she have any other family we can contact?" The woman paused "Alright can you get someone from social services down here? He probably won't make it through the night." The voice sounded tired and almost apologetic. Nina's eyes flew open.

The sound of the beeps monitoring her pulse jumped up and the woman, a nurse, by the phone ran over to her. "Nina! You're finally awake. You gave us quite a scare little lady." Briefly Nina wondered if this woman realized that she wasn't four years old 'Seriously' she thought 'little lady?'

"Where's my dad and Mary?" Despite guessing the answer she refused to drop eye contact with the nurse. She just needed to hear it.

"Oh sweetheart…" the woman began before putting on her brave face and coming out with it "your car was hit straight on and Mary and your father were in front. I'm sorry but Mary didn't make it. Your father is in bad shape but he's in surgery and we're doing all we can" Nina would have been more convinced by the nurses hopeful voice if she hadn't heard her before 'He probably won't make it through the night'. The words kept running through her head and she sat silently refusing to listen to any of the people who kept coming in to check on her. Hours after her conversation with the nurse a middle aged woman in a pants suit and a doctor in scrubs came in with apologetic looks on their faces.

"He didn't make it did he?" She mumbled just loud enough to be heard. She was crying, she realized absently as a drop of water hit her hand but she kept her head as clear as possible. This was not the time to fall apart.

"We're very sorry for your loss. We're getting them prepped and then you can see them." The doctor said appearing to be uncomfortable with the silently crying girl in front of him. She nodded and mutter something that may have been a thank you and he walked out closing the door behind him. The pant suit lady came to sit in the chair next to her bed.

"My name is Amanda, I'm form Social Services. We're trying to track down a family member do you know anyone we can call?" The woman looked harried like she'd been over stressed. Then again, she should be considering as far as Nina knew the only people she had as family were dead.

"If I didn't have any other family what would you do?" She ask in response. A beginning of a plan was forming in the back of her mind and she wanted to buy herself a little more time before she had to make a decision.

"Well you're still a minor so we would need to place you with a guardian until you turned 18. Do you know who we can call?" Amanda was clearly not playing this game.

Sighing Nina sat up. "Did my dad's cell phone make it through the crash? I need it." The social services woman's eyes lit up 'Wow lady shouldn't you have tried that already?' she thought to herself. The woman excused herself to go search it out and returned a few minutes later with two large plastic bags labeled personal affects with Mary and her father's names on them. As she grabbed the phone she gave Amanda an expectant stare before turning her eyes to the door. Flushing, the woman muttered that she'd give her some privacy and left. Scrolling through the contacts Nina found the name of her father's lawyer and pressed call.

A few hours later when the man who stepped into the room introduced himself as Ms. Hunter's lawyer as opposed to a relative Amanda was less than pleased. When the meeting continued into Nina signing documents for a request to become an emancipated minor she thought the woman was going to have a fit. A few days later when the hearing judge declared that as she had the funds, residence, and transportation left to her by her father there was no reason she couldn't be allowed to live her life for the three months between then and her 18th birthday.

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The moment she returned from court that day when she was finally legally free she allowed herself to feel the grief that had been building up since the moment she learned of their family's fate. It took her hours to even move herself from the middle of the kitchen floor where she collapsed to her bedroom. The day before she'd held a memorial for her father and Mary where all of their friends and a few people from school showed up to tell her how sorry they were and pay their respects. Tomorrow, if she could get herself out of bed and the grief didn't crush her, she would spread their ashes through the woods they had all spent so much time in.

She finished out her senior year of high school while also taking two classes at the local technical college to begin her training as a paramedic. After all, it was a way to help people that didn't involve her spending her days inside a hospital. She took classes straight through the summers and graduated in the spring just after her 19th birthday but continued to take classes on homeopathic medicine and medicinal herbs while she was working. Nina enjoyed her job and worked as much as she could but she wasn't happy. She'd made friends with the other EMT's and gone out a few times trying to find something to fill the ever-present gap but she always felt like something was missing even beyond the loss of her family. That fall is when the dreams began.

Always she would find herself walking in an unfamiliar forest. The light that shone between the branches above was unusual and the dew that clung to the scene glowed a faint silver. She would make her way to a fallen tree by a swift running brook and sit down. Only then would the oddly familiar voice come to her. 'You are chosen child of a distant land. The Valar honor you with their blessings. The path ahead will be perilous but it will ease the sorrow which holds your heart so fiercely. Be not afraid when they come for you for I will meet you when you truly awaken' the voice sounded in her head and despite knowing she was not actually hearing the speaker she always looked around to try and spot them. As always she would spot something glowing in the river and would wade in to try and touch it. The silver glow would expand and she would be sucked into the light only to wake up gasping in her bed. 'What odd dreams' she thought before turning over and trying to catch an hours more of rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien.

AN: I got a few reviews and I'd like to say thank you! I take any criticism/ideas into consideration so don't be shy to share your thoughts. Happy Reading!

Chapter 2: The Remaking

To say Nina was frustrated would be a grievous understatement. For weeks she'd been unable to sleep through the night. The infernal dreams which she always seemed to forget the exact wording of when she tried to examine them upon waking were keeping her exhausted mind ticking. Between shifts at work and trying to maintain what little of a life she had outside of her job she quite frankly didn't have the time for this.

Sighing she rolled out of bed and for the third night in a row threw on clothes and shoes so she could go for a run. Knowing it would tire her body enough to catch a few more hours of less than restful sleep was all that kept her from wallowing in bed until the sun rose. 'Really,' she thought sourly 'it's not as if I can run from my own mind'. Nina couldn't even pinpoint why the dreams disturbed her so much beyond the fact that they kept waking her up. In recent days the half remembered words of the vaguely familiar voice had increased in urgency. The woman, for she was at least certain the voice was female, seemed to be warning her of something and the warnings of recent nights made her feel as if she should be preparing herself for some major undertaking.

Though she would never be able to explain it to anyone else she'd let these misgivings drive her recent actions. Recreational target practice with her bow had become fanatical, she'd gotten back on a horse for the first time since the death of her family, and she'd even gone back to see the old studio where she'd gone for martial arts training though she didn't go in. It was as if something outside of herself was cautioning preparedness. The newly bred insanity was the only rational she could find behind the fact that she'd drawn up a living will with her father's old lawyer (the man who'd helped in her quest for emancipation) just two days before. He'd looked at her oddly given she had no family to pass anything on to but didn't argue when she named a few coworkers who she divided all her worldly possessions and her father's residual wealth between. What was it that nagged her?

Turning onto the well maintained path into the woods behind her father's house Nina pushed herself to find a steady pace slightly faster than she was comfortable with but could maintain for the hour she allotted herself to run before returning to try to sleep. Even with the moon near full the densely wooded path was cast in shadows so deep that by all rights Nina should have been stumbling. Her eyesight had always been above average but even so she knew every inch of these paths and the trees surrounding them. This place was the only place she could find some measure of peace. Even in the middle of the night when she should have been sleeping the forest surrounding her lulled her into a tranquil state and before she knew it she'd looped back to the swath of grass that was her slightly unkempt backyard. Exhausted as she was Nina barely remembered rinsing showering, redressing and falling into bed.

Because fate or luck of what-have-you clearly had it out for her, Nina was treated to an unprecedented second dream that night. The wooded glen she'd become so achingly familiar with during these dreams was shrouded in an unusual blanket of mist. She could feel the sweet smelling water kiss her skin and once again asked herself how a dream could feel so real. As usual her body brought her to the downed tree without permission and she found herself watching the brook in anticipation of the voice. She was not disappointed. 'Nina, my child, the days grow short until you join me. You must be ready. The Valar have built you for their purpose and they will remake you for our lands. Be ready.' With the fierce determination of one spurned so many times while trying to reach their goal Nina yanked herself from sleep before the water could consume her. She flipped herself from bed and grabbed the pen shed left on her desk. All the other dreams had slowly drifted into oblivion but not this time. This time Nina forced her will upon her mind like a dam seeking to stop the flow of the remembered dream. Moment later when she came back to herself she grinned with all-consuming victory. She'd written it down.

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"I should have just let it go" Nina moaned to herself as she rested her head against the wood face of the desk. She hadn't moved in the three hours since she'd scribbled down the dream woman's words except to find the charger for her rarely used laptop. Now, looking at the only results she'd found, Nina wished she'd ignored the impulse. One word had jumped out at her as familiar when she'd first deciphered her admittedly horrendous handwriting. Valar. It struck a chord as something she half remembered having read many times before. Now after combining every key work and search engine she could find in hope of getting a different answer Nina turned her frustration on herself. Lord of the Rings. Really? She was being tormented by dreams based on a bunch of books. Admittedly she loved the books, but seriously?

The Valar were tantamount to gods for the elves in Tolkien's books as far as she remembered. She was having dreams where an eerie woman's voice told her deities had chosen her for something and, if she interpreted the words correctly, they were going to bring her to Middle Earth. This preposterous notion had her writing a will? She was almost tempted to call the lawyer and have him rip it up. Only the thought of having to explain her reasoning stayed her hand.

Maybe now that she understood that her subconscious was just having fun at her expense she could actually get some rest. With that cheering thought she got ready for work looking forward to a restful sleep that night. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.

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She'd spent her day training a new recruit. While that in and of itself wasn't an issue, it had been an overly full day. The weather was rainy and slick roads mean accidents. A lot of accidents. She'd put in several hours of overtime and at 11 that night she finally flopped in bed after stretching out her tired muscles. Within minutes she was deeply asleep and with sleep came the dream. Exasperated with herself Nina all but stomped to the log knowing that if she didn't sit the dream would never end. As predicted the voice began 'Child-'. This time, Nina wasn't being patient and used her anger to overcome the odd binding on her actions.

"No!" She shouted at the empty air. She could almost feel the surprise in her mind as she continued. "I want to sleep. I don't know what's wrong with me but I don't want to hear about the Valar or anything. I am done with this." Nina of course understood that yelling at a figment of her imagination was unlikely to yield any results but she tried anyway.

'Anger and doubt do not change the truth little one. I would that this burden were not placed on one so young but I am in no position to question them. When the time comes you will join us, disbelief or not.' Nina could feel the presence receding and just when it was that she began to feel things beyond her own body.

Sighing in something close to defeat Nina walked over to the bank of the stream and searched for the glow in the water. She watched in detached curiosity as what started as a small speck of glittering something seemed to spill out from itself and walked into the door to the end of the dream willingly for once. When she blinked her eyes open and saw the clock beside her head read 3:30AM an impressively comprehensive string of explicative hissed from her mouth. "Stupid dreams" she muttered as she rolled out of bed to find her sneakers. Time for another run.

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Two days of exhausting shifts, one night class at the local university, many many broken arrows embedded deeply in the center of her practice targets, and three nights of dreams later Nina did something out of the ordinary. Instead of her customary nightly run she decided forgo trying to sleep and walked herself deeply into her woods far off the paths. If only she could wander from her thoughts so easily.

If she thought the disquiet of the previous weeks had been bad for her health todays paranoia was going to give her a heart attack. For some unknown reason Nina was jumpy and spent every second of her illusive day off analyzing every movement and panicking at every movement in the corner of her eye. Even now, the peace of being in the woods was hampered by the mini heart attacks the normal sounds of the woods gave her. She didn't know where she was going; in fact it was quite possible she was lost. Nina paused and turned in a full circle. 'Well crap' She could kick herself right now. These may be her woods but they backed up on the larger swath of forest which reached for miles. Of course she could track north south east and west and get a general idea of where she should go but she had no idea how long she'd been walking. If the darkening of the sky was any indication it would likely be dark by the time she found her way home. 'If dad could see me now- the intrepid explorer lost on her own turf. That's embarrassing.'

The only reason she noticed it was because of the day's hyperawareness. The small sounds of the squirrels and birds had ceased. The only noise she could hear was the flow of water against stone somewhere off to her right. Figuring it would likely be easier to keep a direction if she followed any sort of path she followed her ears. What she did not expect to find was the all too familiar small clearing surrounding the brook which so often starred in her dreams. On impulse she walked towards the fallen tree and sat down heavily, her panic numbing to a state of shock which kept her rooted to the spot. She must have been here before and the memory was triggered in her dream. It would have been a lot easier to convince herself of that if it looked even remotely familiar beyond the dreamscape that tormented her.

Taking some deep breaths she turned her gaze to the water before her. No voice invaded her head and if not for the fact that she was flinching at every slight glimmer at the light danced on the water she could have convinced herself that she was calm. As it was, when one little glint of light failed to shift with the patterns that played across the water she broke out into a cold sweat all the while swearing up and down that this was most definitely NOT happening.

But it was. The light moved like quicksilver in the water, ballooning out into a cloud of light she wanted very much to touch. Before she even knew what was happening she'd stood up. Without her permission legs that she was sure had once obeyed her mind carried her to the water edge. The light looked bottomless unlike the shallow depths surrounding it. Nonetheless, when her traitorous body crouched and sprang forward into the light head first all she could think was 'This is going to hurt' and she shut her eyes against the coming trauma.

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When Nina came to her entire body felt like it was on fire. 'Odd' She thought, 'since I just dove headlong into a foot deep stream'. She figured she was in shock. She could feel her body screaming but she could not open her eyes and for some reason she greeted this news with nothing but a passing curiosity. That is, until she heard the voices.

'Welcome, Nina Hunter of the distant realm. Long have we waited for you.' A woman's voice greeted her warmly from insider her head. Nina was about ready to try taking a breath to scream or ask what was going on, she still wasn't quite sure which, but found she could not do so. Naturally not being able to breathe sent her further into panic.

'Calm yourself child, no harm will come to you in our care. You are not where you were nor what you were. To go where you must and do as you must we will have to remake you in the image of this land. Even in your land you were unusual and our interference to make you into a useable tool has separated you from the race which you were born into. When we finish with you, you will be as the Firstborn.' The impressive speech came from a masculine voice this time and while to the words themselves sounded comforting Nina got the feeling there was not compassion for her in him. Then of course, she reassessed his words. She was dreaming again, that was the only answer.

'The child will not listen. She should have been prepared more. The transition will break her. She already believes her mind plays tricks on her' this came from a new male voice, though he clearly was talking about her, not to her.

'There was not time! Already events are in motion and she is needed now if Galadriel is to have time to teach her all she will need to know.' The first voice was back- also clearly ignoring her presence now.

'You are all aware, of course, that the girl can hear you' A new woman jested at the other three. 'Poor thing, you will not believe unless you see the changes for yourself. That will make it harder for you but it is not unexpected. Lothlorien will be good to you when you arise.' Nina found herself oddly mollified by being taken notice of again and she could practically feel the woman smile at this. 'Galadriel will explain it all to you child. You will not harken anything until then anyway. We will leave you to rest now.' All four of the presences faded from her mind and, while she did not sleep as the burning wouldn't let her, she faded in and out of awareness. The burning slowly faded into an ache in every muscle and every bone in her body. Even parts of her that she had never known could be in pain were making their protests known.

When she finally came to it was to the strangest feeling that something was wrong. At first she thought it was because the ache had dulled to a manageable level, then she noticed she was wet, only seconds later that she was not only wet but _immersed _in water. That realization caused her to take a deep breath, which of course was a lungful of liquid, and flail rather spectacularly. Hacking up the water that had invaded her breathing Nina finally opened her eyes only to find herself staring directly at the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her entire life. She was tall for a woman, with pale white skin that faintly glowed and golden hair that seemed to give off sunlight if such a thing were possible. Of course when Nina's eyes roamed to see the pointed ears of this beautiful woman she immediately did a double take.

This woman did not look like the actress who'd played the Lady of the Wood in the Lord of the Rings movies but their bearing and the intense gaze coming from her uncannily intelligent blue grey eyes had her doubting for the first time if this was actually happening as opposed to her subconscious having a field day. As far as Nina knew from her studies dreams were built form memory. People simply did not create new images with their minds and while she'd convinced herself it may have been possible shed seen the glade with the brook before she had never in her life seen this woman or anyone who could compare to her. Was she going crazy or was this somehow actually happening?

Her musings were interrupted as the woman she was staring at spoke. Well, she did not speak so much as the woman's body language indicated that it was her voice now speaking in Nina's mind. 'Welcome, Nina Hunter, chosen of the Valar to Lothlorien. Do you know who I am?'

Uncertain if she should speak out loud or not she figured she may as well try it out and see if her vocal chords were even still working. "You are Lady Galadriel." The words she spoke sounded loudly in the empty clearing and Nina got the impression that her voice was unnecessary and added silently 'Are you not?' pushing her thoughts at the Lady inelegantly.

"You are a natural my child but I do not wish for you to strain yourself so soon. We may speak aloud. I am Galadriel and I have been instructed to guide you for what is to come. My Lord and I will help you through the transition to this new place and hopefully help you in accepting your new self."

"I do not understand. I know where I am and who you are and even how I came to be here but I do not believe it." Processing did not even begin to cover the way Nina was ruthlessly mulling over every scrap of information she had. The Valar (who were apparently real) had interfered in her life before and snatched her from her world through some sort of portal. Middle Earth (also apparently real) was where her unlikely kidnappers had dropped her and Galadriel (whom she could now not doubt was truly in front of her) was in front of her saying the Valar (again real…seriously?) had conscripted her into getting Nina ready for 'what is to come' and what was this about her 'new self'. She pushed her confusion over the last two points at Galadriel though she assumed the Elf had heard the whole introspection and hoped that the jumble of thoughts was cleared to the Lady than it was to herself.

"Can you not guess why we have need of you here? The Valar have been searching for one who can guide the fellowship on a path less full of death and pain. They chose you for your potential and helped guide your actions in your realm to fit their purpose. As we speak Bilbo Baggins approaches the birthday which will uncover the ring to Gandalf. With my aid you can see what actions you may take to avoid some of the events in the story you know. Not everything can be changed of course but the Valar will have you be an instrument of change where you can." Again Nina took in the words of the Lady and tried to battle the growing acceptance in her heart. This felt right. It felt like the truth in a deep part of her she'd never noticed before. It was like sensing the emotions and the slight actions around her in the last few days.

"And what of this new self?" she repeated noting that Galadriel had not answered the question. At this realization she came to another. She was still sitting in the foot deep water. While the woods around them appeared different than those in her world the brook was identical and Nina was more than eager to get out the moment she noticed where she was. Scrambling to her feet Nina felt Galadriel's smile before glancing over to confirm it visually.

Once Nina had returned to some semblance of calm Galadriel answered her question "Do you not feel different little one?" The expectant gaze she was receiving made Nina do a quick internal once over of herself. The ache was almost gone but she did indeed feel different. She felt stronger than she should have considering her situation. She was unnaturally in tune with what was going on around her and she was fairly certain this had everything to do with how strong her senses appeared to be at the moment. Thinking back to her recent removal form the stream she was suddenly aware that it had been far more graceful than it should have been and that she'd been on the bank in seconds after she'd first come to the realization of her position.

Stepping up to that self-same stream Nina looked at her slightly distorted reflection. Her black hair which hung well past her shoulders was unchanged. Her pale skin was flawless as usual but the light in this enchanted place seemed to reflect off her a bit like it did Galadriel's. She paused her inspection at her features. At least she was fairly certain they were hers. While her father and Mary Had always teased her that she was their little Pixie with her adoration of the woods and unusually sharp features what Nina saw in the water now was a whole new level. The angles of her face were more pronounced and she thought that she may resemble Lady Galadriel more than her Father at the moment. That was an unsettling thought to say the least. Turing away from the telling reflection before she could confirm her suspicion Nina slowly traced the face that was hers but not hers with her fingers which she also noticed were slightly longer and more elegant. With a breath to prepare herself she fingered her ears tracing them to the clearly defined point she'd suspected was there.

"An Elf. I'm an Elf." To herself and maybe Galadriel for she didn't understand the mindspeaking she thought 'The voices said they were remaking me into one of the Firstborn. Tolkien used that term I think. So I'm an elf.' Opening eyes that she did not realized she'd clenched shut Nina met Galadriel's gaze once more and tried to steel her resolve. "Now what?"

The Elf's beaming smile disarmed her momentarily. "Now what indeed my young elleth." Which Nina of course realized was not an answer but she forgave herself for not pressing the issue as she felt the stress and fatigue catch up with her in a great wave and promptly passed out.

AN: Nina's finally in Middle Earth! Let me know what you think so far!

Best,

star-eyed-rambler


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien.

AN: I'm really happy with the response this story is getting. Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.

In response to a few of the messages and reviews I've gotten: I figure that the Valar are unlikely to be deliberately cruel. They intervened in Nina's life and pulled her to ME to fulfill some purpose so I figured that they would likely arm her to deal with whatever it is she is supposed to face (thus the basic archery/defense/horse skills). As for her being turned into an elf deliberately that's again a supposition on my part that they want her succeed and that they've already changed her enough that she was barely human as it was. An no worries things get harder for her now that she's in Lothlorien (not that all the crap she's dealt with in her life wasn't awful but she'll have a harder time dealing with what's to come) and upon request I'm thinking Nina may not be a natural born linguist. Let the fun begin!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 3: Lothlorien and the Turning Points

The Lady of Lorien had led her from the brook that had been her crossing point and into the city of Caras Galadhon and didn't appear to notice, as Nina did, the startled eyes of the Lothlorien elves watching them. To be fair, Nina was quite a sight in her sopping wet t-shirt, cotton short, and running shoes. Despite Galadriel's apparent disinterest Nina couldn't stop staring at the new world around her. Caras Galadhon was truly a city in the trees. Everything looked as if it had naturally grown to fit the purpose of the resident elves and even the stairs they two women ascended to reach the flet which was apparently Nina's looked as if the tree had grown them for her use. From the vantage point of the small circular tree house Galadriel pointed out several of the major landmarks. To the North, in the center of the city, the residence of the lord and lady could be seen. Just east of her Galadriel pointed out her garden and the clearing which held the mirror Galadriel assured her she would come to know quite intimately in the near future. The Lady motioned also to the training fields of the Galadhirm which caught and held more of Nina's attention as she flexed her hands longing for a bow like the ones she watched the warriors practicing with.

Seeing her fascination Galadriel smiled knowingly and broke the silence which had fallen during the young woman's distraction. "There will be a time for you to take up arms among the Galadhirm but for now you must rest."

Blushing at being caught unawares Nina apologized "My Lady I'm sorry!" Galadriel waved off the apology with a sly smile.

"You have been through much, my child. This flet is at your disposal and you will find nightclothes on the pallet. I have preparations to make. In the morning we will begin your training." Without so much as a goodbye Galadriel walked away leaving a stunned Nina staring after her with the most unfortunate feeling of having just lost her security blanket. 'When Galadriel is your security blanket you know things are going less than well' Nina mocked herself and decided that she might as well do as she was bid.

The flet was indeed much like a tree house or rather a circular hut built upon a branch of the massive tree. The doorway was covered by a screen of rushes much like the woven material which comprised the roof and the window coverings which were currently unlatched. Opposite the door was the pallet Galadriel has spoken of and aside from that there was only a small table with two chairs and a large trunk occupying the space. Eager to investigate what she assumed was her new home Nina knelt in front of the trunk and unlatched it only to find an assortment of gowns, underthings, nightclothes, and what appeared to be leggings and a few tunics (all in shades of brown and green). A light tan nightgown lay on the pallet that matched several others in the trunk. It seemed that Galadriel had used her advanced knowledge of Nina's coming to prepare for her needs. Nina was inexplicably touched by the Lady's consideration to her comfort and fought back tears of gratitude as the peeled off her still-damp clothes in favor of the soft, cap-sleved nightgown.

Though the sun had yet to fully set, Nina considered that perhaps a full night's sleep to recuperate her strength and process the events of the day would not go amiss. Sliding herself under the soft blankets of the thick pallet Nina stared at the unfamiliar roof as her mind slipped towards a clouded almost dreamlike state. The unfamiliar sensation made her flinch and blink her eyes rapidly. 'Of course' the confused woman's memory filled in the gaps 'Elves rest with their eyes open'. That thought- the small idiosyncrasy that she now had to adapt to was enough to break her fragile mask of calm. It was only hours later, in the deepest part of the night, that Nina's sobs of panic, confusion, and grieving acceptance exhausted her into the discomfiting dream-state.

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In the three weeks since Nina turned up soaking wet and dressed in clothing deemed beyond foreign to her new Elvish kin she'd come to realize a few things. Firstly, while she'd never considered herself a tomboy back home she was not exactly the picture of ladylike behavior in the eyes of the elleth around her. Additionally, while the Valar had seen fit to turn her into an elf physically they hadn't done anything to prepare her for the consequences of that transformation. The facts that she was now essentially immortal, that her senses and reflexes were well beyond that of the human she had been, and that she was in Middle Earth to begin with were still not feeling like reality as she turned them over in her mind.

The morning following her breakdown had begun badly and progressively gotten worse. A golden haired elleth had woken the sleeping girl with the sun. The woman, who Nina assumed was named Allenath for she repeatedly pointed to herself as she said the name and a string of incomprehensible words Nina was vaguely aware were Elvish, had brought a small breakfast of fruit and a pitcher of water into the flet and basically dragged the sleep dazed girl from her pallet towards a chair. After Nina had gotten the point that Allenath wished her to start eating the woman had swept over to the clothes chest and extracted underclothes and a deep green gown as well as slippers. The moment Nina paused in eating she's been dragged over to washbasin that hadn't been there the night before and was subjected to the not-quite-abrasive administrations of the attendant. In short, Nina found her face being washed as if she were a child and only barely restrained herself from grabbing the cloth from Allenath's hands in indignation. Something about the elder woman's countenance forestalled any action on Nina's part. She was then subjected to being unceremoniously stripped and helped into the unfamiliar undergarments and tried to remain still as Allenath fastened the seemingly endless buttons on the back of the surprisingly well fitting gown. After looking her up and down for a silent moment Nina detected a slight warming in Allenath's face and was pleased when the woman led her to the chair she'd momentarily vacated with a few softer alien words before her hair was brushed and braided back.

Apparently satisfied, Allenath took her hands and pulled her to her feet. Sensing that just speaking at the stranger wasn't going to yield any results all of her alien words were now accompanied by a physical clue. "Tolo ar nin!" Allenath murmured and she tugged on Nina's hand in an indication that she should follow. The elleth led Nina down the stairs to the mossy trail Galadriel had walked with her the night before. As was the case previously, all those around her stopped and stared. As uncomfortable Nina may have been with the elleth before she was now all but hiding behind her. Seeing her companion's distress Allenath glared at the gawkers who all turned their eyes away once meeting her displeased gaze. "Av'osto" She murmured to Nina comfortingly and grabbed her hand tugging her towards their unknown destination.

By the time five minutes had passed Nina was hopelessly turned around and prayed that Allenath would not leave her to fend for herself, fearing that if she did Nina would never find her way back through all the twists and turns of the intersecting mossy pathways. Finally, they broke into a clearing that was all too familiar. This was where Galadriel's mirror stood. Frodo would come to this place when the Fellowship came to Lothlorien and would see the possible future. Every time she thought she'd accepted that this was indeed real something else would happen to stagger her carefully constructed calm. "It's Galadriel's mirror" She whispered more to accustom herself to the reality than t converse with her companion who'd remained silent. Thinking to maybe at least learn something from her Elvish companion she pointed and repeated clearly "mirror" turning to Allenath hoping she'd understand what Nina wanted.

Watching the young stranger carefully Allenath pointed at the mirror as well and pronounced "Cenedril". Nina smiled and repeated the word trying not to botch the flowing pronunciation. She was unsuccessful. Allenath laughed softly, joy lighting up her solemn face and repeated the pronunciation until Nina finally said it to her satisfaction a few minutes later.

By the time Galadriel entered the clearing she and Allenath had managed to translate tree-orn and leaf-lass with varying degrees of success. Allenath, at least, was amused by Nina's struggle to pronounce the elvish words. Seeing the Lady's approach Allenath bowed before turning to Nina and "Novaer" before walking back the way they'd come. Nina was going to assume that was a goodbye and turned her attention to the beautiful Elleth in front of her.

"Good-morn Nina. How fared your sleep?" The knowing look in Galadriel's eyes forestalled any consideration of lying for pleasantry's sake as she would have back home.

"I fear that getting used to the seep of elves will be an… unpleasant adjustment." The unspoken 'as will everything else' hung in the air and the Lady smiled gently as if in sympathy.

"Would that I could give you the time to adjust and grow with your change my child" Galadriel took hold of her hands and squeezed them comfortingly before continuing "however, already Gandalf has dispatched young Frodo Baggins with the Ring. We have little time to prepare you. I fear your stay in Lothlorien may not be a peaceful as I had hoped. Already I feel you must begin work with the mirror."

"I don't understand. What am I supposed to do with the mirror? I know Frodo will look into it and-"Galadriel's raised hand stalled her.

"Your foreknowledge is not for my ears young one. I fear the burden must be yours alone to bear else I make an error that would change all. Indeed that is what you shall have need of the mirror for. You must carefully tread. Any action, any alteration to the course of events could end in our destruction." Nina despaired at the idea she would have no one to share the burden. How could she fulfill whatever purpose led her to this land if there was no one to guide her? The night before she'd taken for granted that Galadriel either already knew everything that was going to happen or would counsel her as to how she should proceed.

"How am I to know what to do, my Lady. I do not even know why I was brought here. Why would the Valar send one who knows events that will come to pass if they cannot be altered?" Nina winced as her tone took on a whining quality she would have liked to avoid.

"Child, not all events are set in stone. Your charge is to change what you will without taking any path that will further alter the course of events. Are there no sorrow's yet to come which you can think of to belay? The mirror will show you what you need to see. Consult with it to check your actions. If something cannot be altered you will see the aftereffects of the intrusion you contemplate." Dozens of instances that hadn't sat right with her when she'd read the tale in her world flooded her mind. She could change the story? Not alter the big events, the ones that dictated the course of the fellowship perhaps but could some hardships be avoided?

Steeling her resolve and fostering this new fledgling hope she determinedly met Galadriel's gaze. "How do I do this?"

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Days later found Nina settling into an almost comfortable routine. Every morning Allenath woke her, left her a tray of breakfast, and left her to wash and dress herself (which was a welcome relief after their first morning together). Allenath eagerly tried to teach Nina more simple words in the flowing Elvish tongue but even when Nina managed not to butcher the words she rarely remembered them for long. Her mind was so overfull remembering every detail of the story she could remember that she had little room for anything else.

Once Allenath had approved of Nina's appearance and taken her dirtied clothes into a basket for laundering she would lead the newcomer along the paths which became more familiar each day towards the mirror. Rarely did Galadriel join her after the first morning when she'd instructed Nina in its use. "Gather freshwater from the spring and pour it into the basin. For most the mirror will show only what the viewer needs to see but for one such as you the vision will be directed by your questioning thoughts. Hold an alteration in your mind and let the mirror show you the path such a change will lead to." With that Nina had resolved to run through the course of events chronologically and tried not to let the endless train of cause and effect ruin her spirit.

So far, Nina knew she couldn't go to the council of Elrond unless she wanted to alter the makeup of the fellowship which would, of course, lead to ruin. She also could not warn the fellowship against the mines of Moria. Not only was it truly the only option for safe passage but also Gandalf needed to fall for future events to play out as they should. The lack of detail as to how a changed event led to such dire consequences piqued Nina's ire but she chose to accept that perhaps she did not actually want the flood of information the smaller details would give her.

For a brief moment on her third day of mirror-gazing Nina worried she may not be able to meet the fellowship for fear of altering their path but the hours spent watching images of the sad but hopeful company brighten a little with her influence and not sway any of their actions much beyond incidental motions which wouldn't effect later events she'd assuaged her fear and determined that her presence only served them positively for whatever reason. On this fourth morning Nina had determined that she would see if there was nothing she could do about Boromir's fate.

She found that often if she focused on the immediate action first and made sure it would not lead to ruin then fleshed out a more intricate scenario the use of the mirror left her less exhausted. So, as she set her mind to the prevention of Boromir's death. Visions clouded her mind- Boromir surviving the battle by the river only to die at Helms Deep, Boromir surviving both battles due to her interference only for his father to send him to his death leading the company Faramir was supposed to lead and being far less lucky than his brother. No matter what angle Nina tired it appeared the Gondorian was destined to fall before the ring was destroyed. She also sensed that the longer Boromir stayed in story the more small complications the company ran into. They took more time to get to the slaughtered Uruk-hai and thus their reunion with Gandalf and subsequent travel to Rohan's golden hall was delayed. Taking a deep breath and closing off the tail end of the images in her mind she lowered herself to her knees and allowed a few tears to fall. Boromir must die. How would she look the man in the eye when he came to Lothlorien without him seeing her utter sadness and guilt? Unwilling to continue with her searching in the mirror Nina gathered herself and retreated to the edge of the clearing where she was unsurprised to find her newest companion waiting.

Haldir had been assigned to her by Lady Galadriel after her first morning with the mirror. The lady decreed that her afternoons were to be spent adjusting to her new form and relearning the skills which were invariable affected such as her archery and self-defense. Galadriel also hinted not so subtlety that it would behoove her to learn the use of a blade. Haldir appeared to be less than pleased with the responsibility of essentially babysitting a strange young elleth who didn't even speak the language of her people. Nina secretly thought that he regretted ever learning the common tongue for that was clearly the main reason Galadriel had selected him.

The ellon had been pleasantly surprised when the stranger had proven to have more than a basic understanding of the bow. Yes her application of strength was off and her stance was uncomfortable in the beginning but considering what Galadriel had told him of her past (of which he only knew a little but enough to know that the elleth in front of him had not always been so) she was adapting well. On this fourth day of training he only needed to correct her once on the strength of her draw before she adjusted and shot an arrow directly in the center of her target. She grinned at her stern companion and he allowed a small twitch of his lips to show his approval. The approval disappeared when she threw her arms around him in a quick exuberant hug. As much as she appeared to be a mature elleth she often acted as if she was a child. 'Which she is,' he mused 'the Lady said she has yet to see her second ten span. By our standards she's very much a child.'

She had significantly less luck in her lessons with a sword and the elvish language lessons Haldir forced upon her every evening. "Relax your grip!" He cautioned as she raised her practice blade to block a downswing from his own blade. He immediately saw her try to comply and overcompensate leaving the sword lax in her grip. He sighed irritated as his next downswing tore the blade from her hands as opposed to jarring against her uncompromising stance as it had the last time. "I did not say to let go, child! You must find a middle point. Focus! You do not snap your bow with your grip of let it slide through your fingers- this is no different!" Nina cringed at the irritated tone.

"I'm sorry Haldir. It just feels wrong!" She was complaining and she hated herself for the childish impulse. Impulses seemed harder to fight these days. She supposed it had something to do with the depth of her emotions seeing to have become infinite in her change and the strength of passing fancy was almost overwhelming in her inexperience. The strain of the mirror's revelation that morning was not helping matters either.

Garnering his patience, Haldir sighed softly and corrected Nina's form again and again until the light was almost gone and he called an end. As remiss he was to admit it she had improved even if it was just the change from hopeless to completely inept. Perhaps he should wait to comment on the progress until he could use a kinder word. Nina, for all that she appeared to be handling the entire situation well, was clearly overwrought with emotions and they rarely seemed pleasant. More often than not he'd come across her crying at the mirror before she went to practice with him. He wondered what she saw in her future that was so bleak but he trusted that the Valar would not have brought her to Lothlorien only for her to despair at her fate.

"Enough Nina, let us retire for the evening meal. Will you brave the guard station tonight?" Haldir had tried to encourage the young elleth to dine with him with the Galadhirm in the evenings as she had not made many friends outside the serving woman Galadriel had assigned to her, himself, and the Lady herself. Her lack of the Elvin language was certainly not helping and, when he could persuade her to join him for the evening meal he combined it with a language lesson which usually went poorly. Skilled with a bow and graceful on a horse the girl may be but she was no master of languages. Even her common tongue was strangely accented and held a strange cadence to Elvin ears.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll come with you if you'll spar with me without weapons tomorrow." She grinned at Haldir knowing he would be reluctant. The first and only time she'd gotten him to spar with her he'd been astounded that he'd ended up pinned in a matter of minutes. Of course, the sight of seeing a woman grappling with a man in such a manner was highly improper but the girl clung to the one skill she seemed to have carried over from her world that she could best the stoic elf in.

"If you insist, child. Come along, we'll be late at this rate." Haldir took her arm and led her towards the dining hall the guard occupied.

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Two months gone saw a very different figure of the strange elleth occupying the woods of Lothlorien. Still she kept to her routine of morning trips to the mirror but these days she had learned to look for the most inconsequential of details to alter. Any ray of hope or happiness she could add to the lives of the fellowship of the people of middle earth was a gift to her. So many days had passed with only dark tidings from the glassy surface of the water that Nina had begun to despair of ever finding an event that wasn't a turning point.

She could go with Gandalf to Fangorn to meet with the hobbits and later the remaining company but she could not go to Rohan with them. She could go to the battle of Helms Deep and fight, but she could not keep the uruk-hai from setting off the explosive at the water grate. It seemed that for each small step she chanced forward she was immediately set back and she'd begun to despir at ever making an impact. Thus far the only fully positive change she could manage was warning an outrider of the Rohirrim that the villages along the river were to be attacked by the wild men. Not all could be spared but it was an improvement and news of the attacks would still get back to Théoden so he would still take his people to Helms Deep.

The one event she could not bear to look for a solution to as of yet was the death of the ellon who she now counted as a sort of adoptive older brother. She would do just about anything to ensure Haldir did not die in the battle but as she couldn't share his fate with him she despaired at finding a solution that didn't require her to look for alternative in the mirror. More often than not her searching's only turned up negative outcomes in the mirror and she'd grown to resent it.

It did not help matters that Haldir, at this moment, was on patrol. After the first three weeks of his tutelage he'd begun to take regular patrols again and more often than not he was gone a few days a week. Luckily, with time had come a slightly better grasp of the elven language, enough so that she'd been able to make friends with a few of Allenath's companions. With Haldir gone it fell upon his brothers Rumil and Orophin who spoke little of the common tongue. Despite the language barrier the brothers were determined to get her to a level of skill with the sword that was in their words "less embarrassing". They were hard taskmasters and she was improving slowly, depressingly so.

"Do you no longer search the depths my child?" The question stirred Nina out of her introspection to greet the Lady.

"Good morn my Lady. I am simply searching for a question I can stand the answer to. The answers I find wear upon my soul despite knowing what I do." So much time among the elves had formalized her language a bit and Haldir had told her that her accent was much less noticeable than it had been.

"Perhaps then it would please you to know that we've received news of the Fellowship crossing into the wood? They shall be here in less than a day." Galadriel's eyes sparkled knowingly as Nina grinned at the prospect of meeting the grey company at last.

"Indeed my Lady that is excellent news! And Haldir returns with them if I know anything! If only all news that reached me was as welcome." Her joy dimmed a bit at the recurring question of Haldir's fate.

Seeming to see where her troubles lay Galadriel patted her slumped shoulder and whispered in her mind as she turned and headed back to the path which led to her well-loved gardens. 'Perhaps you should simply ask the mirror what plagues your mind. I believe you may find a preferable answer.'

Bolstered by the Lady of Lorien's faith Nina filled the ever present pitcher with water from the stream and filled the basin. 'Can I forestall Haldir's death? Is it unnecessary as I hope it is?' The visions followed her earnest thought- She and Haldir together on the outer wall of Helms Deep battling Uruk-hai, Haldir not seeing the large monster behind him but Nina charging the beast, Haldir leading the surviving elves back to Lothlorien instead of this second in command as it was in the books, Haldir years later after the fall of Mordor making his way to a ship that would bear him into the West. Haldir did not need to die! If she could but be at Helms Deep she could stop at least that small misery!

With the joyous news she couldn't share with anyone Nina raced off to find Haldir's brothers to share the news of his imminent return and with guests. Her gin startled them as they'd grown used to her wearied reserve after her time with the mirror and after a few hours work with her blade she disarmed the young ellon they'd conscripted to spar with her. When she disarmed him a few minutes into the bout a startled "Agoreg vae!". Despite having never heard it turned to herself she knew that phrase well enough. _You did well_. 'It's not every day I hear that!' Of course, her hesitation at the surprising compliment resulted in the ellon drawing a practice dagger on her and being named the winner of the spar considering she had hesitated and he had gone for the 'kill'.

After a quick dinner with the Galadhirm Nina fended off the protestations that she stay up for more Elvish lessons and at last convinced the brothers that all she was good for that evening was dreams and exhausted sleep as they came to the stairs to her flet. "Lasto Vae Gwathel!" They chorused before leaving her to climb up the spiraling stairs. She still couldn't get used to them calling her their sister though she often thought of them as siblings. She'd always been an only child after all. This was certainly an adjustment. Shaking her head as she dressed for bed Nina swore to herself she'd finally get a good night's rest so she would be at her best for the coming of the Fellowship the next day.

AN: The fellowship will make their first appearance in the next chapter which I'm already working on. Obviously I'm not much of an expert on sindarian but I tried to include a few phrases I could work in. If you missed the translations they're below. Let me know what you think!

Tolo ar nin- come with me

Av'osto don't be afraid

Cenedril- mirror

Novaer- farewell

Lass-leaf

Orn-tree

Agoreg vae- you did well

Losto vae- sleep well

Gwathel- sworn sister


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien.

AN: I didn't expect this to take so long to write. Sorry about the delay! Let me know what you think.

ALSO I'm not going to have the time or inclination to look up all the Elvish phrases I'll need. From here on out _anything in italics is elvish._

Happy Reading!

Chapter 4: Eight Weary Travelers

Instead of facing the mirror in the morning Nina took advantage of her open invitation to visit Galadriel's personal gardens. The sweet smell of flowers whose names she couldn't remember and couldn't even begin to pronounce surrounded her and Nina tried to let the scent calm her nerves. The Fellowship was to arrive today. The mirror had given her enough to know that meeting the travelers wouldn't alter their course but she wasn't sure how to go about doing it. Haldir would likely take her to task for sitting around dreaming instead of taking action and Nina smiled at the thought. The ellon would be returning with the company today as well. Perhaps he and Lady Galadriel would allow her to accompany him in seeing to the Fellowships needs?

With that thought the young woman rose from the stone bench she'd been resting on (she still couldn't get her mind around how graceful her movements had become) and found the path leading towards the center of Caras Galadhon. The winding path opened suddenly onto a large natural staircase at the top of which was the gathering spot the Fellowship would meat Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. Knowing she'd be unable to find the Lady unless Galadriel wanted to see her Nina set out to find her Lord. Celeborn and herself were not as close as she and Galadriel but Nina found his never failing calm soothing just as he found her childish exuberance entertaining. Sure enough, she stumbled upon the Lord of the wood speaking with a guard just below his and the Lady's flet.

"Mae g'ovennen hir viun!" She addressed him as he finished speaking with the guard inwardly proud she'd gotten the greeting out with passable pronunciation.

"Good morn child. Are you not watching the mirror this morning?" Celeborn, as far as Nina knew, was aware of her entire story. He'd never brought up her past in their scattered conversations but then he'd seen the slight twinge in her countenance every time Galadriel or Haldir has inadvertently spoken of her world or her transformation. Thinking of all the things she lost and all of the new trials ahead of her made Nina uncomfortable if they did not outright cause her pain.

"No my lord. The Fellowship approaches and I need to speak with my Lady." Celeborn smiled knowingly. Half the time he felt people came to him because his bonded was impossible to find.

"Well then I suppose we should begin our search if you wish to find her before the travelers arrive." He held out his arm for her to take and led her towards the stairs intent on starting at the lake. "Are you well child? I know this day has weighed on your mind since you came to us." Celeborn was markedly uncomfortable prying unlike his wife but even he could see the young elleth was distracted.

"Everything here has been so peaceful for me. I just know that this is where the story begins to turn. Even with perfect foresight I could not be comfortable." She went silent again until the telltale glow of the Lady of Lorien caught her eye at the edge of the approaching water. "My Lady!" She called out and as always Galadriel's reaction was serene. Nothing surprised the ancient elleth in her own domain.

"Well met child. What is it you and my Lord need of me?" The question was more of a formality really considering Galadriel had a fair idea of what Nina would ask. Celeborn, sensing he was no longer needed, bowed to the elleth and returned up the path towards the stairs.

"I would ask that you assign me to wait on the Fellowship when they arrive. They will not welcome an intrusive elleth unless I have a true reason to spend time with them." Nina was mildly ashamed to realize that she was… jittery. Ever since she had woken in her new form incidental human reaction had been lost to her; elves emotions did not play so close to the surface as they did in mortals. This anxiety was most unusual.

"Nina, you will of course be lent to the fellowship as their guide while they rest with us. Do not be nervous, my child. Stay true to your course and remember that your brothers and I are here to share what of the burden we may." Galadriel rested her hands on the elleths shoulders "Come. The Marchwarden has crossed into the city. We must meet our guests."

Galadriel kept hold of Nina's hand as they made their way to the gathering. At the edge of the clearing Nina relinquished her tight hold on Galadriel's hand to allow the Lord to take his rightful place at her side. Nina moved off to the side where she saw Rumil and Orophin waiting. They exchanged tense smiles before turning to the path where the footsteps of the travelers could be heard.

Eventually the company came into view. In the lead was Haldir and Nina could practically feel her adoptive brothers relaxing as she did at the sight of him unharmed. Immediately following her returned brother came the eight remaining members of the grief stricken fellowship. The hobbits were simply to identify by their stature and Nina immediately focused her gaze on the Halfling she identified as Frodo. 'I am so sorry, my friend, for all that is to come. If I could change it I would' she thought to herself and fought down the wave of grief that threatened to break her composure. Likewise Gimli was easily picked out. If his height and girth hadn't identified him the distaste on the faces of all the elves present except for Legolas would have been enough. Legolas was bowing slightly to the Lord and Lady as Aragorn did and both seemed to be struck silent in awe.

Boromir, Nina noticed, was shaking slightly and looked as though he might be ill at any moment. 'Of course, his mind is being taken by the power of the ring even as we stand here.' She tore her gaze away from the doomed man ashamed that she could not alter his fate.

"The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Eight that are here yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar. "Celeborn addressed the fellowship as Haldir came to stand by his siblings.

Galadriel showed a small pang of sadness that her bonded was to find out this way but she had instructed Nina not to share anything that could possibly change the future. The fellowship needed to believe Gandalf was dead. "Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into Shadow. "

Celeborn's gaze pierced Nina even as she stared down at her feet. The Lord was angry with her. She could feel the hurt in his stare even as Legolas told the tale. "He was taken by both Shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Nina was shocked into paying attention by the venom in Legolas' voice. He was showing his hurt and anger in a manner that no elves she'd met thus far did. Was it because he was an ellon of the Woodland realm or that despite his nearly 3000 years he was still fairly young in elvish terms?

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose." Nina saw the Lady repress what may have been the beginings of a smile as she turned her gaze on the dwarf, "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli, son of Glóin. For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands love is now mingled with grief." Celeborn didn't share his Lady's apparent confidence.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." The question was addressed to his Lady as well as the little elleth hiding behind her adoptive brothers. Celeborn's focus caught Legolas's attention and he snuck a glance at the elleth who held the Marchwardens elbow familiarly.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace. Haldir and his sister will ring you to a place you may rest." Galadriel motioned to the two elves before she and Celeborn turned from the company in a clear dismissal.

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"If you will follow us, we will get you settled." Nina approached the fellowship carefully and motioned to the staircase before leading the way, assuming Haldir would bring up the rear. Her sensitive ears picked up the hushed conversation between Merry and Pippin without difficulty and she struggled not to laugh.

"I'm starving do you think these elves have anything good to eat?" That had to be Pippin ever the brash Took.

"If you're so concerned why don't you ask the pretty lady or even better the stone faced elf that tried to shoot us earlier!" Merry was clearly exasperated with his young companion. His comment intrigued her 'Haldir tried to shoot them?' Not only did that sound unlike Haldir in that he rarely 'tried' anything without success and the hobbit were clearly unharmed but also he wasn't prone to aggressive behavior unless it was teasing or training her.

Deciding to break the ice just a little she called out to her brother in elvish "_You tried to shoot the Halflings? Did you miss or were they simply too swift for you_" Her tone was teasing and she heard a chuckle from Aragorn at her words. A quick glance over her shoulder showed smiles on the faces of the Ranger, Legolas, and her brother. Mission accomplished.

"_They're certainly more swift than you sister. Are you still limping from the hit Rumil got on you?"_ Haldir teased back at her and she quickly assessed her gait to make sure she wasn't actually limping from the large bruise on her calf.

"_That traitor! He promised he would keep it between us. Well if he can break confidence than I suppose I should tell you that when we were at the archery range yesterday her and Orophin were so distracted by Lady Anaith walking by that they both completely MISSED their targets."_ Times like these when her emotions ran high were easier to speak the complicated tongue. She'd read something about that in her world. People exhibited more skill in foreign languages when tired or mildly intoxicated because it lowered inhibition and their vocal chords were more relaxed.

The full throated laugh surprised her as it was Legolas not Haldir. She turned to meet his gaze. "_I suppose that's no great surprise. Your brothers never did have a hand for the bow. Must come from all that lazing about you let them do Haldir" Legolas_ teased Haldir much to Nina's surprise. She hadn't thought about how well the two knew each other. In fact it was a bit sad that so many people knew her 'family' better than she did. The melancholy took over and she dropped out of the conversation letting the ellons tease each other about their battle prowess.

Aragorn quickened his pace a bit to catch up with her when he saw her expression cloud over. "What troubles you m'lady?" He'd switched to the common tongue which Nina was beyond grateful for. Despite her outburst se was still barely a novice in terms of speaking.

"Many things and almost entirely out of my control. I am sorry; do not take my troubles upon yourself. You've suffered a great loss. I did not know Gandalf but I know much of him. He would be proud of how you lead the company in his stead." Nina managed a weak smile at Aragorn's dazed expression.

"Your accent is strange m'lady and you do not resemble Haldir for all that you claim each other as siblings. From where do you hail?" Aragorn's curiosity was clearly going to be an issue especially as she could practically feel the rest of the company listening to their conversation.

"My name is Nina, I am most certainly no lady." She rebuffed the tile as all the posturing had started to wear on her. Considering her words for a moment she continued "I am not from Lothlorien or indeed from any land you are familiar with. I am a guest of the Lady's and have had the unfortunate luck of being adopted by Haldir, Rumil and Orophin." The last she said with a smile as she head Haldir huff.

"We only took you in because no one else would have you" Haldir called to her from the rear, clearly teasing. "When you first arrived you kept getting lost and couldn't even speak the language of your people- not that you've gotten much better mind you." Nina stuck her tongue out at him. "And you have all those strange mannerisms. You're quite the oddity sister."

By now the whole company was chuckling (even Gimli who was clearly uncomfortable and Boromir who was trying very hard not to stare at the chair around Frodo's neck) and Nina was pleased to see that they were coming up on the pavilion by the lake which had been set up for the Fellowship's foreseen arrival. Once she saw to it that the Hobbits were fed and that the rest of the men were comfortable Nina motioned to Haldir that she would be back in a moment and swiftly made her way towards the path that would lead her to her flet. She'd had enough of the dress and quickly changed into a pair of cream colored leggings, a brown tunic and soft brown leather boots. She made her way back to the lake and paused at the edge of the clearing. Making a snap decision she climbed the great white oak which hung over the pavilion and settled herself among its branches to watch the fellowship.

She was spying, yes, but she justified it as more of a fact finding mission. Any information she could gather could help her interpret the future in the mirror. The fact that she wanted to watch the hobbits fool around like children or Boromir and Aragorn banter about the beauties of Gondor or perhaps just the sheer sight that was the Mirkwood prince was irrelevant, or so she told herself. Nina had grown so accustomed to the Lothlorien elves that even Legolas was a foreign oddity to her. He did not hold as much reserve as Haldir and she saw mischief and mirth lingering in his eyes as he watched his companions as if he was holding in a great deal of humor for their sakes. As she contemplated the prince his eyes flicked up to hers and grew in surprise before he rose and gracefully scaled the tree to join her in the branches.

"And here I thought Lothlorien elves only went into trees if there was a staircase" he teased as he settled next to her. She noted the eyes of Aragorn and Haldir flicked to them once or twice before dismissing the tree-bound elves.

"Ah but you forget that I am not in fact a Lothlorien elleth. When I was a child I spent much of my time climbing and falling out of trees. My father used to jest that I must be part squirrel." She smiled to herself at the bittersweet memory. She wasn't sure what had prompted her to share that with an ellon who was basically a stranger.

"What is it like? Your homeland?" His sincere interest was not unusual but instead of rebuffing the question as she usually did she decided she may as well answer it as truthfully as she could. After all, the future of the company was essentially in her hands. They were going to have to learn to accept and trust her eventually.

"It's so different from these lands that I don't know where to begin. There are cities so large it takes a day to cross them on foot. The forests of my homeland are much less grand than Lothlorien of the woodland realm and much younger. There are markets where goods from many different lands are sold every day and despite great oceans and desserts the peoples of my home are very much connected. In fact, the man with whom I used to work was from across the sea. If you think my accent is strange you should hear his. I suppose the strangest thing for you about my home would be that we have no magic in our lives. We use technology in its place but there are no sorcerers or speaking trees or ships that sail to undying lands." The words rushed out of her so quickly she wondered if he caught them all. Speaking of home after so long was cathartic and she found herself less grieved by it than she'd expected.

"What was your work back in your realm? You sound as if its loss pains you." She could tell Legolas was intrigued and simply wanted to keep her talking in hopes of gaining any more insight into her mysterious foreign land.

"I was… I suppose you'd call it a healer. In my world there are really two kinds of healers. There are doctors and nurses who work in… houses of healing where people can go to be helped and then there are paramedics and field medics who go to where the injured or sick people are and do as much as they can to help on their way to the house of heeling." Trying to describe her job in Middle Earth terms was difficult if not impossible.

Legolas studied her for a few moments without speaking. "Was this profession dangerous?" His tone seemed mildly disapproving and Nina decided to nip that overprotectiveness in the bud.

"Occasionally we were in unsafe situations but Legolas many women in my world work in what many here consider men's professions. A girl I knew form my childhood schooling was in a combat zone with our army before she was even twenty and she was less than a year older than I am-"at this Legolas appeared to freeze. His eyes were trained on her but it was like he wasn't even seeing her. "Legolas….Legolas…" She called his name a few times before signaling Haldir for help. Her brother was up next to them in a flash and his arrival appeared to snap Legolas out of his stupor. "Are you alright?" She asked as he continued staring at her but had resumed blinking and breathing regularly.

"Nina, how old are you?" Haldir grinned at winded expression on Legolas' face. He remembered being just as shocked at this particular revelation.

"She's yet to reach her twentieth year my friend. It's startling isn't it? She looks as if she's an adult but she's really no more than an infant." With that comment Nina pushed him out of the tree remorselessly.

"Legolas, in my world there is not magic, there is no immortality. I aged as a human before I came here. Lady Galadriel assures me I will likely look as I do now for the rest of my now-eternal life. I am not a child and I will not allow anyone to treat me as such." She dropped out of the tree as she felt her inner agitation surface. "Haldir, I need to speak with the Lady. I'll be back." Her tone was stiff as she all but ran towards the path that would lead her to Galadriel's garden. Even if the Lady wasn't there she could take peace in seclusion and perhaps take a peek into the mirror if her senses returned to her.

AN: I know this is short and the wait has been super long by my standards. I'll have another chapter up in a day or two (hopefully one that is better written and longer).

Does anyone want to see more points of view? I'm not ready to try out Legolas' yet but I think I could try Aragorn or Haldir or maybe even Pippin? Let me know if you want it and I'll give it a shot.

Mae g'ovennen- well met

hir viun- my lord


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: Here we go. Hopefully this was a bit better than the last chapter. I'm going to give Haldir's POV a shot. Let me know what you think! As a reminder any text in italics is in Elvish.

Happy Reading!

Chapter 5: The Understanding

Haldir's POV

"_You should give her a moment to calm down_" Haldir caught Legolas' arm as he jumped from his perch to follow Nina. Legolas kept his eyes trained on the girls retreating figure and Haldir had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at his old friend.

"_I do not understand what I did_," the princes lost gaze finally left his sister as she turned a corner in the path. Some times Haldir wanted to shake the girl's defensiveness out of her no matter how understandable the wariness was.

"_I believe she is tired of every new connection she makes seeing her as a curiosity. Rumil tried to explain why her age is so intriguing but I don't believe she fully understands the rarity of such young elves._ "Haldir sensed the ranger's eavesdropping and considered his words carefully. As private as she was, Nina would not appreciate him talking about her. "_She has the experiences of an elleth many times her age. It's really something my sister should explain_."

"_Is she really likely to speak with me? She just ran from me for asking a simple question!_" Haldir sighed. Perhaps he should call Orophin and Rumil and take wagers on how long it took their sister to get fed up with the stubborn ellon.

"_Go and explain yourself. If she doesn't run then perhaps she'll be willing to acquaint you with her background. Either way you couldn't possibly make a worse impression on each other_." Haldir pushed him in the direction of Nina's retreat. "_I'd try the garden. She spends most of her time there if we're not training or she's not at the mirror_" Legolas shot him a questioning glance at that last fact and jogged off towards the trail.

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Nina felt Legolas behind her even as his approach was silent. She was starting to love these elf senses even if they still left her head reeling more often than not. "What do you want Legolas?" She could have sworn she was clear that the topic was closed when she basically ran away from him. His persistence was clearly going to be an annoyance even if she suppressed a slight twinge of gratitude that he wanted to speak with her despite her behavior.

"I wished to apologies for my questions earlier. It is not my place to ask such things." She blinked in surprise but did not stop him. "If you will permit me I would also like to explain my reaction." Nina nodded cautiously and patted the bench next to her and gave him a tentative smile. "Haldir told me that the rarity of young elves has been explained to you. Here in Lothlorien you probably only have a handful of elflings in residence but what you must understand is that Lothlorien is one of the most powerful and protected haven's in Middle Earth. Elves can make the choice to have a child here and feel at least some sense of safety. Nina, Mirkwood is half overrun by the dark. We fight each day to protect our borders. No elf would bring a child into such a place. There are no children in my homeland; indeed the youngest of us is an ellon who just reached his 400th year. Even if you had 190 years instead of just 19 you would be one of the youngest people I'd ever met. You also look quite a bit more mature than an elleth of your years should; but such things are not my business and I will not pry." We watched her for any sort of reaction. Her face was blank but at least she wasn't running from him yet.

Inside Nina was bouncing two sides of an argument around. She'd known young elves were rare but Legolas has definitely put it in a harsher perspective. How could there be an entire kingdom without a single child? Should she tell him more about her aging before her arrival? Legolas was a good soul but should she trust him with her burdens? Was it even right to place that weight on another? As if she could hear the internal battle (which for all Nina knew she could) Galadriel's voice floated through her mind. 'The Prince is worth of your faith my child. You will need each other for support many times over before the quest is complete. Tell him all you can without altering what will come to pass.' Sometimes she loved the eavesdropping the Galadriel was prone to. For such a regal lady she could be quite meddlesome though it was usually for the best.

Nina finally met Legolas' increasingly anxious stare and felt her desire to trust him overwhelm what little resistance she'd mustered up. "You are more than forgiven Legolas. My behavior was unworthy of me and it is I who should apologize. You could not know that my age is a… sensitive topic because you do not know me."

He smiled widely at her and she again marveled at how freely his expressions crossed his features compared to the Lorien elves for always teased her for her 'human expressions'. "If you are willing I would like to explain my circumstances though I will warn you that you'll very likely not wish to know me after I explain in full." How could someone as pure as this princeling forgive her willfully letting his companions die and overlooking tragedies all for some distant future that he could never see? 'Then bring him to the mirror after you tell him and make him see Nina' Galadriel clearly wanted this particular conversation to go as she planned it.

"I would love the opportunity to hear your story, little one" She raised an eyebrow at the nickname but considering he had at least six inches on her she decided to let it go and jumped into her story.

"I was born almost twenty years ago in a healing house after my mother was in an accident. She did not survive her injuries but the healers delivered me and my father took me home with him. He didn't talk about her much but I used to have a picture of her. I got my eye color from her but for the most part I look like my father. Dad was overwhelmed taking care of a newborn by himself and hired a woman to take care of me while he worked. In the end she moved into our home and became like a grandmother to me. Her name was Mary and she helped my father raise me. Just before my eighteenth birthday, the day we come of age in my realm, we were all in an accident like the one my mother was in. I came out of it with barely a scratch but I lost both of them to their injuries. I had no other family and the government was supposed to take me in but there is a special law that let's children come of age early if they meet certain qualifications. My father was fairly wealthy and I was almost finished with my primary education so I was allowed to stay in my home. I went on to a specialized training to be a healer and I'd been working for almost two years when I was pulled out of my world and into this one. Galadriel says the Valar chose me to fulfill a task. I told you before that there is not magic in my world. Magic, dwarves, elves, and all creatures that are not men or animals are simply faerie tales in my land." At this Legolas couldn't seem to keep himself from interrupting which Nina didn't really mind as she felt like some sort of exhibit being watched as she spoke.

"How can you say elves are only tales in your land when you yourself are of elf-kind?" He clearly hadn't understood what she meant earlier about aging as a human.

"Legolas, I aged as a human in my land because there are only humans where I come from. I was not of elf-kind at my birth. I went through a … transformation at the hands of the Valar and was entrusted to Galadriel's care." Legolas' mouth didn't drop open as a human's might have but he was passing into the shocked state she'd seen earlier when her age was made clear. At this point he actually knew more than anyone but Galadriel or Celeborn. Even Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin simply believed she was an elleth from a distant land.

They sat together for several long minutes as Legolas processed all that she'd told him and Nina planned her next words with caution. "When did all of this happen? How long have you been here?" She could tell that those were not the questions Legolas most wanted answered but he wasn't sure how to ask what he really wanted to know.

"I've resided in Lothlorien for about three months. I've probably been declared dead by now back home" She said that last to herself but she saw Legolas start violently.

"Dead? Why would they assume you were dead? Surely someone will continue to search for you?" Nina looked at him pityingly. It had never occurred to her that elves were crippled slightly by their immortality but with each word Legolas spoke it became clearer.

"Legolas, humans are fragile. We had short lifespans compared to most creatures in Middle Earth and we move on after tragedies faster than most. My friends from work and school likely reported me missing and my home and property were likely searched. If a human was lost in the wilderness for months they would die of illness or hunger, or would be killed by a wild animal. Humans where I come from are not hardened to the wilderness. My friends likely mourned my passing and may even remember me fondly from time to time but when you only have about eighty years to live you have to get past the pain of loss. I loved my father and Mary and I grieved for them for quite some time. I still miss them at moments when I want to tell them about something or get their opinion but the loss no longer crippled me after the first few months. The resilience of humans doesn't mean they care less but that the nature of morality will not let them be consumed for all time. Every day is full of life and joy and hope. Such a life bars one from the devastation after some time." She decided to omit the fact that she was likely cased as a potential suicide as she'd just drawn up a will but was for the most part being sincere in her explanation.

She'd lost him to the shock again. Perhaps she should try being more circumspect in the future…

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Legolas couldn't help bust stare at the elleth in front of him. She was so calmly explaining that her friends had likely abandoned her for dead. She was so unconcerned with the idea of death which so many elves couldn't even consider without discomfort. Was that what all mortals were like? Did they all feel so deeply but quickly as Nina suggested. What sort of impact would that have on her? An elleth who would live forever but would live each day fully and rejoice in being alive. She was the most amazing creature he'd ever encountered. His fascination with Galadriel's ward would get him nowhere though. She said she was here to serve a purpose. Would she return to her magic-less realm and her changeable friends when she completed the Velar's will? Realizing he'd been silently staring at the clearly uncomfortable woman for an indeterminate amount of time he decided to distract her from his behavior with a question.

"Can you tell me why the Valar brought you here or is it secret?" Nina seemed pleased that he'd come back to the realm of consciousness and let out a relieved breath.

"There are events to come which I can alter. I know what is to come with the Fellowship's quest to destroy the Ring. Some hardships and tragedies must occur no matter how much I wish to alter them but I can at least save those involved a little suffering. Knowing that some deaths are needed to propel the story to the correct end is a burden I would not wish on my worst enemy and yet I refuse to save the one and endanger the rest." She looked down and he saw her trying to blink back tears. Legolas, like most elves couldn't stand to see another in distress and wished to comfort her as he gently clasped her shoulder. She jumped at the contact but did not pull away so he slid his hand down to grasp hers and they sat in companionable silence until she had her tears under control.

Once it was clear she wasn't going to cry he spoke up, "I am sorry this burden has fallen on you. To see the future is always trying but to see the future of this dark business and be made responsible for our actions is unfair. How do you even know which events you are supposed to intervene in?" He'd heard of Galadriel's mirror but to his knowledge it only showed the viewer's future. Perhaps he had heard wrong or misunderstood.

"I make a decision about what I will do to change an event. If the event is a turning point I cannot find a way to alter it and still see the quest stay on track later down the road. If the event can be changed I find the least risky and least intrusive way to do it. Gandalf falling in Moria was a turning point. Indeed if I had managed to warn him of his impending fall he would have continued down the same path regardless. There is a raid that is supposed to happen in Rohan among the river communities. I will send word to the Rohirim in time to make sure the communities are defended. Such small events are all I can alter." She was looking down again, studiously avoiding his gaze. She was…ashamed? For what? Did she avoid his eyes fearing condemnation? True she'd probably see such things in the eyes of Boromir and perhaps the dwarf but he would never begrudge someone so weighed down by duty.

As if to voice her approval he felt the voice of the Lady of Lorien float into his mind, 'Nina will require your support and will in turn support you when you need it most. Just by being here she has already saved you from something that should have overcome you at the closing of the Fellowship's tale' the cryptic remark was disconcerting but he headed the Lady's advice and resolved to reassure Nina that his opinion of her had not changed.

"That must be difficult. I, again, am sorry it falls to you. This is not even your homeland and its defense is costing you much." Perhaps he should wait to ask what would become of her after the quest ended (either with the ring destroyed or back in the hand of its maker).

"You do not begrudge me for not sharing the information? You yourself will suffer much because I cannot share what will come to pass with you." She clearly has expected his anger rather than his understanding.

"I simply wish I could somehow relieve you of your burden but all I can offer you is my friendship. And even that will be tainted by my impending departure." She sighed ruefully but was caught off guard as she threw her arms around him and gave him a quick hug. He sat stunned for a moment before returning the motion.

"Your friendship is received with gratitude even if your path will make you… inconsistent. From what I have seen we will most certainly cross paths after you leave with the Fellowship." She paused for a moment and he could almost feel her making a decision. "I want to show you something. Come with me!" She grinned at him and tugged him up with her from the bench before taking his hand and leading him to a mostly concealed pathway across the garden from their bench.

The path was well worn though thin, clearly not a busy walkway, and Nina navigated the twists and gnarled roots of the forest floor with practiced ease. "Where are we going?" He couldn't help but question the inexplicably exuberant girl.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise," she teased. Her new lightheartedness was a welcome change from the somber conversation of the garden and he felt as though they'd come to an unspoken understanding that they would trust each other. They finally came to clearing and Legolas was shocked to see a completely clear perfect circle of grass only interrupted by a stone pillar supporting a wide basin. This was the Mirror. Nina released the hand he hadn't realized she had still been holding and bent to fill a pitcher with water from the stream at the edge of the clearing. She filed the basin and then pulled him to stand next to her.

"I'm going to show you what can happen if everything goes according to the path I've set. I can't show you anything about your coming journey but I can show you a glimpse of what will come if you are successful. It can be a bit disorienting the first time. Are you ready?" Legolas stared at her in disbelief for a moment before nodding. She was going to show him the future and didn't appear to even realize how precious the artifact she was leaning on was. There was no more time to think as visions filled his mind in fragments-

~Aragorn sat upon the great throne in Gondor next to Arwen who was clearly heavy with child. The white tree of the Kings bloomed. ~

~His father embraced him in a courtyard outside the Mirkwood palace's entrance and he appeared less burdened than Legolas could remember seeing him since the Mirkwood had been the Greenwood. ~

~Legolas himself stood at the window of a flet looking out on an unfamiliar view and turned as an elfling clung to his leg. He picked the child up and laughed as the blue eyed boy made to grab one of his braids. ~

The next Legolas was aware of was kneeling beside the mirror with Nina crouched in front of him concern clear on his face. "The first time I looked in the mirror I felt like my head was splitting open. Are you alright Legolas?"

After a few harsh breaths he finally felt recovered enough to respond. "All of that will come to pass fi we succeed?" He questioned wonderingly. She nodded smiling softly at him.

"The King returns to the White City, The Prince returns to the reclaimed Greenwood, the world is safer and there will be plenty of children born so you can stop being concerned by how young I am." The last was accompanied with a small laugh and Legolas couldn't help but join her. He could not shake the euphoria in his heart at what he'd seen and he truly had no wish to. This elleth had given him precious hope for the future of Middle Earth, their quest, and his own future happiness for that was surely HIS child in the vision and he would never decide to have a child unless he was to find his match and live in enough safety for the child. The darkness could end. And Aragorn would finally accept his place in the world. He did not understand how Arwen could be there though. Aragorn had said she'd sailed to Valinor.

"How is Arwen in the future I see? Aragorn said she was to sail west after we departed from Imaldris." He wondered if he could tell the Ranger. Would the news cheer the man or simply add to his worries?

"Arwen is in Love Legolas. She could not sail. She will stay in Rivendell and her fate shall match that of Middle Earth. She seems like an extraordinary woman. I can't wait until my path crosses with hers. But Legolas, you cannot tell Aragorn. He does not need to be concerned with more than he already is. Indeed all that I have told you and shown you must stay between us. You must promise me" Her earnest pleasing tone would have convinced him to agree to anything. Regardless he could see the sense behind the request.

"You have my word Nina. Perhaps we should rejoin the others. I got the feeling that Haldir was concerned you may try to kill me in a fit of anger." He joked lightly trying to bring her back out of the reserve she was falling back into. She cracked a smile and grabbed his and again to lead him back to the main paths. Once on the main passages Legolas no longer needed her guidance as he'd been to Lothlorien several times in his travels. Even so, he didn't release her hand.

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AN: So there should be a new chapter up soonish. Let me know what you thought? Guidance and opinions are encouraged and taken into heavy consideration. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien.

AN: I know Legolas and Nina's conversation sort of took over the last chapter so I'm aiming to get some more Fellowship interaction in this chapter. Let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 6: Teasing and Training

Nina practically dragged Legolas back to the Fellowship's pavilion. They'd been gone for longer than she'd guessed and she could almost hear the teasing her brothers were no doubt planning. One look at Rumil's face as they passed him at his guard post cemented her fate. She only hoped they would wait until the prince wasn't listening. Once they were in sight of the pavilion she realized she was still holding Legolas' hand and dropped it quickly. This was the second time! The last thing she needed was for a member of the fellowship to think she was even more of a freak.

"Welcome back sister," Nina practically flinched at the light tone from behind her. Orophin was definitely the quietest of her adoptive brothers but when he chose to get involved in teasing her he was by far the worst. "The company will dine together now that you've returned Legolas to them. Will you not join your brothers for the evening meal? You've neglected us since you felt their presence in the wood." Nina was glad her back was turned to Legolas and tried to fight down the blush.

"Of course. I'll meet you at your flet in a few moments." He nodded to her and retreated. At least they would barb her in private. She turned back to Legolas who wore a slightly confused expression.

"You knew when we entered the wood?" Even with foresight that was unusually exact.

"I know of everything that has happened from the time you arrived in Imaldris and all that will come after you leave here. Indeed I likely know more about the background of your companions than you do." She was trying to force levity in her voice but there was no way to phrase that fact without sounding at least a little like a stalker.

Catching wind of her growing anxiety Legolas shook off his surprise (would he ever stop being surprised by this elleth?) and teased back, "And what do you know of my background fair seer?" He smiled when she let out a soft laugh in relief.

"That… is a conversation for a different time. I'm going to be late for dinner!" Without warning she gave him another of her startling hugs and bolted off in the direction Orophin had gone earlier. He did not understand Nina. Was her occasional exuberance a trait she'd kept from her time as a human? He still couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea that she had not always been an elf. Of course her behavior was odd and she often used strange expressions but it was still surprising.

After watching her retreating figure turn out of sight Legolas sighed and walked back to the pavilion. Nina had shared the common story of her background with him so that if the Fellowship asked he had something he was allowed to tell him. She was from a land far to the East in this story. In her land the gift of foresight was almost nonexistent and so she was sent to Lady Galadriel for training but she was still mostly unpracticed. She had no family and would likely not return home as she loved her adoptive brothers and Lothlorien was beginning to feel like home. It was, for the most part, true.

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Aragorn chuckled under his breath as Legolas stood still in the middle of the clearing and watch the retreating figure of Nina. This was unexpected. In all his years of knowing the Ellon he'd never seen the prince take such a clear interest in knowing a female. The Ranger shook his head and rose to meet the elf as he finally come back to the pavilion. "You've been gone for quite some time my friend" there was no masking the teasing tone of his voice.

"I offended her in our earlier conversation. We had much to speak of. She is fascinating and quite unusual for an elleth." Any attempt on Legolas' part to downplay his interest failed miserably. His excitement was plain especially to one who knew him as well as Aragorn did.

"Any she is quite beautiful is she not? I don't believe I've ever met an elf with black hair before." Aragorn wasn't so much trying to get a confession of more than friendly interest from Legolas but he wouldn't mind aggravating the tranquil elf just a bit.

"Aye she is quite beautiful. Her hair is one of the traits of her people I believe. But she is so young. Such comments are highly inappropriate" Legolas' protective censure was unusual and a bit more aggressive than Aragorn had expected. Perhaps Legolas did have a deeper interest in the girl. Should he continue to pry or let his friend tell him on his own? The stormy expression on the ellons face kept Aragorn silent on the matter beyond a nod of acknowledgment.

"Come, let us join the others and eat before the hobbits and Gimli eat everything." Aragorn felt Legolas fall in step beside him and decided to let the elf stew over his thoughts for now. Nothing good would come of angering the ellon.

Throughout the meal it was almost as it had been on the road before losing Gandalf. The hobbits ate everything in sight even putting Gimli to shame. Boromir was watching their antics with a lighter heart than Aragorn had seen in quite some time though he did notice that the Gondorian's eyes strayed to Frodo a bit more often than the others. Frodo himself was actually laughing, a sound Aragorn hadn't heard since Rivendell. Legolas was clearly still brooding but a few well-placed barbs from Gimli brought him back to bickering with his favorite debate partner (though of course neither would admit that the other was their 'favorite' anything). The elves had provided them with new bedrolls and the company began to settle down for sleep. Legolas fetched a pitcher of water and looked up at the trees startled as the elves of Lothlorien began to sing.

"A lament for Gandalf." Aragorn looked to his friend sadly as the words washed over him. This was a song of grieving and it seemed almost cruel that they should have to listen to it so soon after his demise.

Merry craned his head back and tried to pick out the figures of the elves who were clearly above and all around them among the trees. "What do they say about him?" He asked Legolas without thinking.

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near." Aragorn smiled sadly and nodded as Legolas motioned to him that he was going to join the singers. Being away from other elves had been hard of the prince. Perhaps some time in the community grieving would be good for him.

Sam piped up as Legolas faded from sight up the nearest tree "I bet they don't mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them." Sam began to sing a little impromptu bit about Gandalf admittedly fantastic fireworks. Aragorn appreciated the sentiment but only barely forced himself to shove Gimli as she pretended to snore and decided to speak with Boromir about his sudden reclusiveness to get away from the hobbit's and their memories of their departed friend.

"Take some rest. These borders are well-protected"

Boromir's voice was haunted and he turned his gaze to Aragorn reluctantly. "I will find no rest here. I heard her voice inside my head. She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor. She said to me 'Even now there is hope left.' But I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope. My father is a noble man, but his rule is failing. And now our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I would do it. I would see the glory of Gondor restored. Have you ever seen it Aragorn? The White tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?"

Aragorn answered hesitantly "I have seen the White City, long ago."

"One day, our paths will lead us there. And the tower guards shall take up the call: 'The Lords of Gondor have returned!'" Aragorn was deeply troubled by Boromir's sudden change of heart towards him and bid him goodnight. He did not see Galadriel at the edge of the clearing or hear Frodo rise to follow her. Aragorn allowed himself to be lulled by the peace of Lothlorien and fell into dreams for the first full night since they'd left Rivendell.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Having been an only child in her world the experience of older brothers was still relatively new for Nina. Sometimes, like right now, she missed being free of the nuisance. When she climbed into the flet Haldir, Orophin, and Rumil shared Nina could practically feel them barely holding back from starting in on her. Deciding it was best to just get it over with she sat at the table and served herself some of the salad. "Alright, say whatever it is that is on your mind. I am ready" She closed her eyes and braced herself.

"It's very good to see you making such fast friends with the princeling sister. Has he proposed yet or are you going to wait until he returns from his quest?"

"You were gone for quite some time with him, little sister. Do I need to speak with the wood elf about the proper treatment of a Lothlorien elleth?"

"Indeed I'm shocked Orophin could tear you away to come eat with your family. We weren't sure hours on end hiding away in the garden would be enough."

IT was about what she expected. Seriously, they wondered why she didn't have more friends. This kind of talk made any ellon leery of getting too close to her. They were ludicrously protective and even though they clearly KNEW nothing was going on between their sister and Legolas they would tease mercilessly. If it wasn't so well intentioned and she wasn't completely sure it was in jest Nina would have put a stop to it well before Legolas came along.

"I shall keep in mind for the future that I should be disagreeable and unpleasant to all males who speak with me. In fact I've probably been too familiar with the three of you and Lord Celeborn. Perhaps I should cloister myself and only speak to women. This of course will be a bit difficult since I've yet to meet a woman besides the Lady who speaks the common tongue…" She trailed off her tone teasing and the entire table erupted in laughter.

"You were upset when you left earlier. Have you and Legolas cleared up your misconceptions?" That was Haldir bringing the conversation back on safe ground, bless him.

"We spoke at length and I believe we have reached and understanding. There shouldn't be any miscommunication in the future." The meal continued with light banter between the siblings. Nina in particular was after Rumil that night for his continuing infatuation with Anaith (who Nina knew for a fact retuned his regard but she wasn't going to tell him that).

She walked back to her flet slowly and tried her best to ignore the song for Gandalf. Was she going to feel guilty about all the pain those around her felt until he came back? Would they blame her for not telling them and sparing them from this? She felt like such an outsider whenever the community came together like this. She was welcome of course but the language barrier was still keeping her isolated to certain extent. After preparing for bed and lying down she spared a few errant thoughts for the Mirkwood prince who did not seem to see her as the oddity so many in Lothlorien did before she slipped into dreams.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Nina skipped her session with the mirror again the next morning. Something about the story line going on right in front of her made the visions the mirror provided less appealing; besides Rumil promised her the previous evening that he'd shoot with her in the morning. She dressed in the leggings and tunic she preferred over the gowns Galadriel always tried to push on her and ran towards the training field with her bow and quiver.

The sight that greeted her shouldn't have been such a surprise. She knew from her world that Legolas was renowned for his archery but seeing him in action was beyond words. All elves were graceful but Legolas's smooth movements as he grabbed an arrow from his quiver, knocked it, and shot it directly into the center of the farthest target in his lane in less time that it would have taken to blink. She could match Rumil shot for shot and he was arguably the best archer in the Galadhirm but the Mirkwood prince would put her to shame.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she set herself up at the lane on the opposite end of the archery field and tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered by Legolas. After a few shaky shots she found her rhythm and before she knew it Nina was hitting the center in a respectable cluster with every arrow. She was so wrapped up in her rhythm she didn't even notice that she had company. When she reached back for an arrow and her hand met empty air Nina sighed and finally felt the sensation on the back of her neck from being watched. When she turned she expected to find Rumil who would no doubt have some 'constructive' criticism for her. When it was the prince instead of her brother Nina snapped her mouth shut and bit back the slew of sarcastic comments she had planned.

"Good morning Legolas" she took a beat to pull herself back together. Just what she needed, the best archer in the realm watching her work.

"You're very good at that. In fact, I think you could make Rumil nervous in a match." Compliments were unexpected. Rumil and her teacher back in her realm had been quick to lead with the criticism and only add encouragement when it was clear her drive was flagging. That was a method she was used to. It reminded her that there was always room for improvement.

"He still beats me nine times out of ten but to see his face when I do manage to out shoot him is worth the humiliation every other time. I think my brothers are thankful that I'm barely passable with a blade. It gives them something all of them can mock me for." Legolas laughed and Nina felt herself smiling in response. Now if she could just keep her nerves under control maybe she could make her escape and come back to train after she found Rumil- who was quite late.

As if he'd heard her musings Legolas spoke up, "I ran into Rumil on my way here this morning. He said you two were going to train but he's been called away to patrol. I volunteered to come in his place if that is alright by you." Well there went that plan. Nina wasn't quite sure where all of these nerves were coming from. Last night they had been comfortable in each other's presence. Perhaps it was everything her brothers had teased her about and how, when she thought about it, there was a bit of a basis for their mocking. Her interest in Legolas went a bit beyond the bounds of her interest in the Fellowship as a whole and there was no denying that he was one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen in either world.

"You don't have to do that Legolas! I don't want you wasting your time on me." Maybe he would take the hint and she could collect herself before finding him later to apologize for her frazzled behavior. From the smile on his face however, she wasn't going to be that lucky.

"I don't mind at all. Aragorn is giving the others a tour so in reality you are saving me from endless hours of boredom." That startled a laugh out of her and she conceded.

"Alright. But I warn you, I've been training with Rumil since I got here and I haven't made any progress. I'm fairly certain I've reached as far as my potential goes."

"Absolutely not! You have talent and you're quite good now but your form is strange and I think with a few adjustments we can have you splitting arrows in no time." That was a feat she'd only ever accomplished once and she was more of the opinion it had been a fluke than her skill. To be able to harness such accuracy on command, to shoot at a level she'd only seen Legolas accomplish, that would be amazing. Sill though, she retained a kernel of doubt that he might have just a bit too much faith in her.

"If you say so. So, show me what I'm doing wrong." They walked together to gather her arrows from the target and Legolas spent a few moments studying their placement. As they walked back along the field Nina realized they were alone now that the prince had stopped putting his skill on display and couldn't help but be thankful for the privacy.

Legolas had her get into her stance and began his alterations. "Your stance is odd; I think you are not as balanced as you could be if you placed a bit more weight to the back. As a human you probably needed to brace against the shift you'd need to draw the bow but you are stronger now and lighter. You have to be centered or your accuracy will suffer." He had her draw an arrow and knock it and just before she released it he spoke, "Freeze there." Her muscles froze in response and she turned to look at him. "Your shoulder is tense just before your release. Not only does it shift your aim but it's a tell for when you are going to fire. Now put the arrow back and try again with the corrections."

Once she reset Nina got back into position and shifted her weight back and forth a bit trying to find that magical middle Legolas spoke of. Each time she thought she felt it, she lost it. After a moment she felt hands on her hips and jumped in surprise. "Sorry, I did not mean to startle you! I just wanted to help" He pulled his hands from her as if burnt the moment she'd jumped and now looked truly contrite.

"It's fine," she said as she took a deep breath and settled back into position and forced her racing heart to calm as he replaced his hands and moved her into a stance where she could feel her balance was perfect. "I was just surprised. I don't think anyone's touched me to adjust my stance since I started martial arts as a child"

"What is martial arts?" Legolas asked as she raised her hand to draw an arrow.

"It's actually several schools fighting styles mostly form the same region of my world. I practiced in a class of mixed styles for hand to hand fighting." She knocked the arrow and drew it back again, taking aim.

Legolas's hand came to her shoulder and squeezed the muscle which she just realized had become tense. "Women in your world practiced hand to hand fighting? My experience around human women is that they are not allowed any sort of war training. Your shoulder must not tense. The shot must be an extension of the movement to gather and place the arrow. Make it flow." He released her and she put the arrow back again.

"Most women in my world don't fight but we are allowed to do whatever we wish. Men may still be the dominant gender in most respects but it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of their gender." This time she found the stance after a moment with Legolas' help and turned her draw into a fluid motion, releasing the arrow before he muscle had time to tense. It hit dead center.

"Better" he said answering her grin of victory. "Now do it again" And so she did. Many, many times. Almost two hours later Nina was beginning to regret letting the ellon teach her. He was a perfectionist and a bit of a slave driver. By the time she was released her arms were sore, her head hurt from concentrating, her aim was markedly better, and her earlier anxiety about Legolas' presence had faded completely from her mind. She made plans to join the fellowship for their noon meal when Aragorn and the others returned before making her escape. A long hot bath was definitely needed if she intended to have use of her muscles later on.

AN: Look for the next chapter at the end of the week. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien.

AN: Hey there! I know there was a huge gap between chapters and I'm sorry! Bad news- this is shorter than anticipated. Good news- I have the next few chapters planned out and they'll be up soon. Let me know what you think!

Shout out: I've had some amazing and super encouraging reviewers and I'd really like to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited. You guys are great!

Chapter 7: Breaking Under Pressure

They were leaving at dawn.

Nina had to keep repeating that fact to herself because somehow she couldn't quite believe it. The elleth had spent almost every waking moment in the company of the fellowship since their arrival. At dawn she would eat breakfast in their camp. After the meal Legolas would escort her to the mirror. He always said he wandered the city and caught up with old friends while she was occupied but somehow he was always at the edge of the clearing when she came out of the visions. The afternoon was devoted to training with the men and giving the ever-eager hobbits tours of Caras Galadhon.

She had finally brought Pippin and Merry (Frodo was tired and so he and Sam had stayed behind at camp) to her Flet after they'd commented that they thought living in trees was 'highly impractical'. Legolas and Aragorn had tagged along, both clearly eager to see where the Elleth lived.

"So, this is it." Nina shifted uneasily from foot to foot as the men surveyed her little home. She hadn't realized until they were actually there how barren the space was. All she'd acquired since she first arrived was another chest of tunics and leggings, and her weapons.

Pippin scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and commented, "It's a bit…empty, isn't it?" Immediately Merry smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't insult Nina's house, Pip! It's rude!" The hobbit whispered harshly. Nina couldn't help but crack a smile. The Hobbits still hadn't quite realized how good Elvish hearing was.

"It is fine. I'm almost as new to this place as you are. I haven't lived here long enough to really turn it into a home." She fought valiantly to keep her voice upbeat despite the sadness that seeped into her every time she remembered her real home. "The home I grew up in was full of comfortable furniture, odds and ends, and mementos from my family. I couldn't bring any of that with me when I came here." Legolas turned from his perusal of the view out her window and gave a sympathetic smile before coming to her rescue.

"There is a wonderful view of the city from Nina's window." Legolas said, helping the curious hobbits to stand on the trunk under the window. Once they were suitable entertained and Aragorn had gone to look with them he took Nina's hand in his and gave it a brief squeeze. "_Are you well?"_ he asked her softly enough that only she could hear.

Nina broke his gaze and stepped away from him. "_I will be fine. It simply hurts to remember."_ He nodded at her words and motioned for her to rejoin the Hobbits who were now chatting with someone on the ground.

"Boromir wants to train. Let's go!" Merry led the way down to the waiting man. Nina paused at the base of stairs and wondered if her friends would begrudge her some time to herself or at least a few hours where she wasn't expected to be 'the elleth'.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Legolas noticed Nina's absence immediately. He stopped to let the other pass him and motioned for Aragorn to go on when the Ranger sent him an inquiring look. The man's eyes darted back to the elleth and shot his friend a small teasing grin. Once the party had moved past him Legolas retuned to Nina who appeared to just be staring off into space. He took her hand and led her back up the staircase to her Flet. The prince coaxed her into sitting on the edge of her pallet and crouched in front of her but the young woman would not meet his eyes.

In the weeks the Fellowship had resided in Caras Galadhon he and Nina had become so close he felt as if he had known her every moment of his nearly 3000 years. Still, there was much she could not or would not share with him and he tried to ignore the pit in his stomach each time she withdrew like this. He knew she was grieving for her losses and she deserved to do so but Legolas felt helpless when he could not do anything to ease her pain.

"Nina, look at me." His voice was firm as he tried to knock her out of her stupor. When she didn't respond he tilted her head up to meet his gaze and was shocked to find that she'd begin to cry. Elves rarely wept and when one did it was only because their emotions had completely overwhelmed their bodies. He'd known she was hurting and they had spoken of her 'homesickness' but it had never seemed so painful to her before. Without realizing he had moved Legolas shifted to sit next to her and gathered her into his arms as her silent tears turned into hard sobs. She slung to his tunic and he could do nothing but run his hand up and down her back soothingly as she let her sadness out. When she was calm again they would speak.

Several hours later found Legolas propped against the wall with Nina still curled into him. She'd fallen asleep shortly after her emotional dam had broken and he didn't have the heart to move her despite how improper it was for him to be alone with an elleth on her bed. He was mildly surprised that one of her brothers hadn't come to find her yet since they always seemed to check in every few hours but decided to count his blessings. He could only imagine the fallout if Haldir, Rumil, or Orophin were to find them in such a compromising position despite his innocent intentions. Legolas has ceased watching her sleep an hour ago after he'd realized his thought were beginning to run down less friendly paths. He'd admitted to himself weeks ago that his feeling for the elleth went beyond the realm of friendship and had committed himself to squashing the interfering emotions whenever they made themselves known. He would not add another burden to the already overwhelmed woman.

As if sensing that he was thinking about her, the elleth stirred and began to wake. She appeared to realize exactly where she was and moved to pull away only to be stopped by his arms. He knew what she needed now more than anything else was to feel close to someone. He was more than happy to be that someone. "I'm sorry. It all just hit me at once. You didn't have to stay" She was once again not making eye contact but Legolas let it go since she'd stopped trying to get away.

"Nina, you never have to apologize to me. I am your friend." He shifted her to sit on her own against the wall and turned to look at her while maintaining custody of her hand. "Would you like to talk about it?" He'd asked the same question dozens of times before and she'd always changed the subject.

"I don't want to complain. I'm just being selfish and overemotional. Ignore me." The self-deprecation was new and the Elf found he did not like it at all.

"No." Nina looked up at his harsh word in surprise. "Clearly there is something beyond the norm which has affected you today. No one can fault you for reacting to the strain you're under. Why would you tell me of your task if I am not allowed to help you as you bear the burden?" Helplessness was never a scenario Legolas enjoyed experiencing.

It seemed his hard tone had her hackles up and she ripped her hand out of his grasp. "You want to know what's wrong with me. Fine. I have lost every person I have ever known. My entire family is dead. My friends are in another world- MY world. I may not have had much there but it was my home. I had a place. I have no place here. All I have is this stupid task to stop a handful of minor events. I don't even need to be here. Without me the story still ends the same! All of you have something you're fighting for. You have a purpose. You have somewhere to go back to! When the darkness passes what will happen to me! I know it's selfish but what am I to do when you all go your separate ways at the end of the tale. Do I come back here and live in my empty little house for the rest of time? I'm not even a real elf- I don't know if I can even sail to Valinor like the others." She gotten herself so worked up in her speech that she didn't notice the tears had returned. She finally looked at the ellon across from her and was grateful not to see the anger or pity she'd expected.

Sorrow for the woman next to him flooded his senses. He'd known she was having trouble adjusting but it hadn't occurred to him that she may be having trouble identifying with her new self. And it was true; he knew what the future held for him to a certain extent if they were successful. He did have a place to go. And as long as he lived, Nina would be welcome in his home he just hadn't realized she didn't know that. Perhaps he should be more clear.

"There is nothing I can say to ease the pain of your loss. The only true death I have seen was Gandalf's and while he was a great friend he was not family. I do not know your pain. The Valar would not have brought you here if you did not have a great purpose. Perhaps for now it is simply 'stopping a handful of minor events' but you forget that each change you can make will save lives of innocent people who do not have to die. You will be saving others from the loss you have experienced. You may be unable to return to your home but you are welcome in Mirkwood. I'd say it's a fair bet you would be welcome wherever there's a member of the fellowship and you can come back to Caras Galadhon. You have your brothers and the Lord and Lady have all but adopted you. If you are truly miserable we can try to find a wizard who could return you home." That last sentence had slipped past his lips without his permission. He did not want to give her false hope as much as he didn't want her to leave.

She smiled weakly at him; all of her anger drained away "We both know I cannot return Legolas. I simply do not wish to be a tag along. I don't want to be more of a burden then I already am."

Legolas sighed. She did not understand and he could not force her to. "Nina, you are not a burden. You should get some rest. I'll see you in the morning before we leave." He gave her a kiss on the cheek (perhaps a bit closer to her lips than was appropriate) and left the stunned girl alone. He didn't see the blush take over her face or her raise her hand to cover the spot his lips had touched.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Nina did not sleep. Nina paced around her flet one hundred and seven times. Nina emptied, refolded, and repacked her trucks. Nina cleaned her short sword, daggers, and bow until they gleamed in the faint candle light. Nina paced around her flet one hundred and four times. Nina made her bed. Nina did not sleep.

Finally, she gave up on tiring herself out and went to the mirror only to see Frodo and Galadriel. The Lady waved her into the clearing and she walked cautiously up to Frodo's side. The Hobbit was deep in a vision which seemed entirely unpleasant and Nina felt for the small man. She could imagine all too well what played in his mind at that moment. She caught him when the vision finally released him and his legs went out from under him.

"Easy there, my friend. The mirror can drown you in sorrow if you let it." Nina advised softly and she helped steady the hobbit.

"Nina?" He questioned as he finally caught sight of her face. She nodded sadly and motioned towards Galadriel. The Lady needed to speak and if Nina remembered correctly Frodo was about to offer the One Ring to the Lady of Light. This was not an event she'd ever wished to witness but it was too late to turn back now.

"I know what it is you saw. For it is also in my mind. It is what will come to pass if you should fail. The Fellowship is breaking. It has already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak. One by one it will destroy them all." Galadriel's voice filled the clearing and Nina tensed in anticipation.

"If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring." The hobbit's hand extended, palm up, and Nina noticed that despite what she'd expected, she did not feel the call of the small golden ring as Galadriel clearly did. Maybe it was because she wasn't actually a part of Middle Earth.

"You offer it to me freely. I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this. In place of a dark lord, you will have a queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!" The Lady's cries diminished as she seemed to come back to herself and Nina finally let out the breath she hadn't know she was holding. "I pass the test! I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel." Nina's heart felt tight. She'd almost forgotten the Lady was going to sail into the West in the end.

Frodo's voice brought her back, "I cannot do this alone."

"You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone. This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant. And I am its keeper. This task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will."

"Then I know what I must do. It's just… I'm afraid to do it." Nina felt as if she was intruding. The hobbit should not have his private pain on display to one such as her.

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. And there are those who would fight to the end to give you your chance." This last bit was accompanied by a quick glance in Nina's direction. "Come, Frodo, Nina has need of the mirror. You should rest before dawn if you can."

Frodo disregarded the instruction and stared at Nina. "You look into the mirror willingly? Do you not fear what you will see?"

"My purpose requires me to visit the mirror. I rarely like what I see but it is necessary. Go and rest Frodo. I will see you before you leave." The Hobbit looked at her calculatingly for a few more moments before nodding and following the faintly glowing form of the Lady of Light.

The mirror was difficult that night. Nina was quickly running out of turning points to check and was now thwarted by how interconnected each small decision had become. Finally, she admitted defeat an hour before dawn. There would be no more visits to the mirror. She was done.

After a quick stop at her flet to change into a new pair of leggings and tunic Nina wandered to the river. The boats were waiting for the Fellowship and she longed to go with her new friends. She traced her way back to the Fellowship's camp and was pleasantly surprised to find them all awake already. The mood was solemn and there was no more than whispered conversation as she entered the clearing.

"Good morning my friends." They all looked up, surprised at her presence except for Legolas who had, of course, heard her coming.

"Nina, have you come to see us off?" Boromir asked with more cheer in his voice than she'd ever heard. He really didn't like the Elvish city clearly. Nina nodded and went around saying farewell to each of her new friends. Even Gimli willingly gave her a hug and reminded her not to let 'those elves' change her into 'one of them'.

Celeborn and the Lady's appearance stopped and reply Nina may have made. "Come, the boats are being readied. The hour of your departure approaches" Lady Galadriel led the way down to the river bank as the Fellowship gathered their belongings and followed. Nina grabbed Legolas' hand as he made for the trail.

"I would not have us part on such poor terms. I am sorry for my outburst yesterday. I know I shall be seeing you again soon but I will miss you deeply until we are reunited." She fought back the prickle of tears but Legolas had clearly seen the sheen of her eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for my friend. I too will miss you though I do not hold the same hope of seeing you soon as you do. I fear we will be gone for quite some time." She hugged him tightly in response and hid a small smile. He would be seeing her sooner than he thought though by then Boromir will have died and Legolas would probably resent her for her part in it.

She handed him the small roll of parchment wrapped in a leather tube which held a missive for Eomer about the raids by the wild men on the riverside towns. "When you enter Rohan and are met by the King's nephew give him this from the Elves of Lothlorien. It would perhaps behoove you not to threaten his life before you hand it over." Legolas looked at her strangely but accepted the tube and put it in his pack. "Also, the next time you will see me you will likely hate me for not changing some events so I just wanted to say I'm sorry for all you're about to go through. I would have changed it if I could."

"I am sure I could never hate you. I look forward to telling you that when next we meet." He reached forward to hug her and she stopped him when they were just a few inches away from each other.

Nina had been thinking this over for weeks. She'd likely never have him look at her in that way again and she decide dot capitalize on it while she could. Besides something could go wrong and Legolas could die in the coming battles so it really couldn't hurt if she just went for it. "Just in case" she said quietly before raising herself onto her toes and giving him a swift kiss on the lips before running towards the bank leaving a very stunned Elvin prince behind.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: Sorry! Updates will be coming in at least weekly once again. This one is a bit short but it was a good stopping point. Next update should be up within 48 hours. Alright, picking up from where we left off last time. Remember italics are Elvish. Let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 8: Departures and Arrivals

Had she really just done that? What in the world was wrong with her? Nina ran full tilt towards the relative safety of the river bank and planted herself between the Lord and Lady. Legolas wouldn't say anything in their presence would he? She was barely keeping herself from hyperventilating and refused to look up when she heard Legolas walking out of the woods. She could feel the confused gazes of all three noble elves focused on her. The ground was truly very interesting. 'What has you so discomforted my child?' Galadriel's voice rang in her head. It was really just unfair- there was no avoiding a nosey woman who can speak in your mind.

Nina finally looked up to the Lady and pushed a thought to the forefront of her mind 'I may have done something stupid.' She saw the Lady's gaze flick to Legolas and fought down a blush as a large grin lit up the imposing woman's face.

'I like the match. Should we make some time for you to say farewell alone Nina?' The teasing from everyone in her life was starting to get a bit old.

'No thank you'. She shot a glare at her mentor and returned her attention to the gathering as Celeborn had begun to speak.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Each of the Fellowship received their cloaks and Nina relaxed just a little. Those cloaks would be saving her friends from some precarious situations more than once in the near future.

Galadriel addressed the line of travelers in front of her and prepared to distribute her gifts, "My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhirm. Worthy of the skill of our woodland kin" the Elf looked wonderingly down at the pristine bow that Nina had personally selected from the Galadhirm's bower, not that she would admit that to him now after... "These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war. Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage. And for you, Samwise Gamgee, Elven rope made of hithlain" The three Hobbits received their gifts gracefully.

"Thank you, my lady. Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?" The pudgy Hobbit jested. The Lady just smiled indulgently and moved on to Gimli. "And what gift would a dwarf ask of the Elves?"

"Nothing. Except to look upon the lady of the Galadhirm one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth. Actually, there was one thing. No, no, I couldn't. It's quite impossible. Stupid to ask…" Gimli began to mutter to himself and Galadriel moved on past the discomfited dwarf.

Motioning to the Evenstar around Aragorn's neck Galadriel addressed the reluctant future king "I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear. _For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar will diminish_."

"I would have her leave these shores and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor." Aragorn looked overwhelmed by sorrow and Nina longed to tell him that Arwen had refused to leave but she couldn't risk Aragorn messing with the way the story needed to unfold.

It appeared Galadriel was interested in giving him a sliver of hope "That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make, Aragorn. To rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin. _Farewell, t__here is much you have left to do_." If Nina remembered her storyline correctly Galadriel was supposed to tell him they wouldn't meet again. When the words were left unspoken she assumed Galadriel had spoken them in his mind. It was getting hard to keep up with the information each member of the assembled company knew. Nina found herself slightly envious of Galadriel's abilities.

The Lady had finally reached the ringbearer "Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."

The Fellowship loaded themselves into the boats and Nina found herself clinging to Galadriel's hand trying not to cry. It was ridiculous- she would see most of them in a matter of weeks! This was not the time to freak out. Once all of the boats were cast off She finally allowed her gaze to settle on the Mirkwood prince who was staring right back at her. Nina felt herself blushing but couldn't break the connection. Just as his and Gimli's boat was about to go around the bend that would bring him out of sight, he shot her a large grin and even at that distance she saw him mouth the words 'See you soon little one'.

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The young elleth had been standing on the bank of the river all day. The girl's gaze was locked on the bend downriver as if the force of her stare would bring the boats back. When he and his brothers had teased her about her attachment to the Mirkwood prince, Haldir hadn't considered how far it went. Now he was faced with the uncomfortable possibility that his little sister was more than half-way in love with him. He wasn't equipped to deal with that emotional mess but unfortunately Nina had failed to make many friends and he wasn't sure if he could really ask the Lady for help on this.

"So, sister, how long until we should expect you to chase after the green leaf?" His tone was teasing but when Nina turned to meet his eyes there was no humor in them. She flushed dropping her eyes to the ground.

"Something needs to happen before I can follow the fellowship. You'll know when it happens." Her failure to even remotely deny the implied attachment to the Mirkwood ellon resolved Haldir's suspicions. What he was not expecting was what came out next, "considering what's about to happen to them I very much doubt that Legolas or anyone else will be pleased when they see me." The sight of tears falling down her cheeks galvanized the shocked elf into action. He moved closer and wrapped his arms around his little sister. Sometimes he forgot how much the burden of her foresight weighed on her.

"Legolas understands that you are bound by forces beyond your control. He will not begrudge you for withholding such information. If he does you have three loving brothers who will thrash him for you, prince or not." That got a laugh out of her as he'd intended and she kissed him on the cheek mumbling something that may have been a 'thank you'.

After a few more minutes of getting her emotions back under control Nina pulled out of Haldir's arms. "I haven't eaten all day. Let's go find dinner. Race you!" Without any waning she shot off in the direction of the brothers' flet. Cursing under his breath Haldir gave chase silently remarking that Nina was occasionally every inch the child her age indicated. The thought made him smile and he considered just letting her beat him this time if only to win a moment of happiness for her.

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Caras Galadhon was dead silent when Gandalf walked up to greet the Lord and Lady. In fact, the only people who seemed not to be in a stupor were the rulers and a young elleth on the Lady's left. It wasn't often one shocked an elf so Gandalf pressed the memory of their faces into his mind for later amusement. Chances were that he'd lose the image in the chaos that was his overfull mind but it would turn up eventually and he'd cherish the memory when it did. That done, he turned his piercing gaze to the elleth. She was young! Not just the eternal youthful appearance of the elves but if he wasn't mistaken she was barely more than a child. There were hardly any children in these woods and he'd been here recently enough that he should have recognized her and yet he didn't. Just who was this youngling that Galadriel clearly favored?

"Welcome, old friend. We have been waiting for you. Please join us inside; we have much to speak of. Nina, you will join us." With that the Lady of Light and her Lord turned to enter their home clearly expecting Gandalf and the elleth (Nina, he reminded himself musing at the unusual name) to follow. They wordlessly filed in and sat around the table laden with fruits and decanters of wine and water. "You have quite a story to tell but you need not tell us. We already know what has come to pass. You shall replace Saruman as the White wizard.

"How did you..." he trailed off unable to finish his sentence. Galadriel's gaze reached far but even she could not see through death to the other side. If she could, a lot of the issues when Glorfindel returned could have been avoided.

"I believe you have yet to be introduced to our young friend. This is Nina Hunter and she has been brought to us as you have been brought back to us by the Valar at the turning of the tides."

"From where to do you hail child? I do not believe I've even seen any of the first born who appear as you do."

Nina had expected this. Black pin straight hair and bright green eyes weren't exactly common among elves and she was rather short for an elleth. "I have only recently joined the ranks of the first born Mithrandir. My home world was a world of mankind and had no magic to speak of. The Valar interfered in my life from infancy to mold me into someone that could help when the time came. I know what has happened and what is going to happen should the fellowship and other key actors remain true to their course. I am here to rectify some of the small errors in the story that do not change the outcome but will save lives needlessly lose." She was a little impressed that he didn't interrupt her at all but then again, the wizard had the patience that extraordinary age lent someone.

Gandalf was clearly surprised and turned to the Lord and Lady for confirmation. It wasn't that Gandalf didn't believe the strange girl but her story was close to being beyond belief. "She speaks true, old friend. Nina has been with us for several months and will be going with you when you leave us to find your companions. You may be glad for her company- she does, after all, know exactly where they will be." Galadriel smiled serenely at him and Gandalf nodded absently.

The rest of their discussion turned into round upon round of questions Nina was compelled to answer about herself, her home, the change the Valar put her through, her slow progress with the Elvin language (as if she needed MORE criticism about her failing language skills), and their plans for departure.

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By the time they'd decided to leave at first light and set a course for Fangorn forest the sun was well past set and Nina nervously made her way to her Brother's shared flet. This was not a conversation she'd been looking forward to. Rumil answered the door. Reminding her again that she could just come in, knocking was for strangers. The look on her face ceased his teasing and he immediately called Orophin and Haldir. They did not take it well.

Somehow the idea of Nina going off and involving herself in the coming war hadn't really sunk in for them yet even though they'd known since the day she arrived that she'd be leaving. The elleth had become family and Nina suddenly understood the overprotective quality of brothers she'd heard friends from school back in her world complain about. Eventually they relented once it become clear that their disapproval was not going to dissuade her and it was only making her upset.

The insisted on walking her back to her flet, helping her pack (and by helping the of course meant they would be lying around watching her do so), and they promised to meet her at the stables before dawn. With that they finally left the exhausted girl to catch several hours of rest.

Panic set in less than thirty seconds after they'd closed her door behind them. It was one thing to PLAN this journey that literally threw her in the middle of a war and entirely another thing to actually go through with it. Her resolve held firm even through the fear which preoccupied her thoughts and she collected her traveling pack (filled with tunics, leggings, one gown Rumil had insisted she would need, lembas, her waterskin, a satchel filled with dozens of packets of different medicinal herbs and basic medical supplies, and grinding stones for her blades), strapped on her short sword and dagger, and slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder. She was ready.

Her brothers were waiting for her in the stables as promised. What she hadn't expected was to see Haldir's favorite Horse saddled with tack the leather workers had made for her a month ago. Nina tried to fight back irrational tears but she felt several slip down her cheeks before she could stop them and hugged each of her brothers soundly before accepting Haldir's leg up onto Tala's back. The mare was strong but she was built more for speed than for battle which suited Nina just fine especially when she saw Gandalf riding into the clearing on Shadowfax. Tala would have to work hard to keep up with the Lord of all Horses. Nina suppressed a laugh as she saw her mare eye the stallion and flick her tail as if unimpressed.

With a final round of farewells the pair rode along the pathways of Caras Galadhon in the direction of Fangorn. By Gandalf's estimates they could make the journey in several days which would have them arriving just in time to meet up with the hobbits. They didn't speak much beyond the occasional question that popped into the wizards head but neither rider minded. Nina was too caught up in her contemplation of exactly what she'd gotten herself into and Gandalf was busy trying to figure out what to make of the girl who was willingly sacrificing herself for a cause that wasn't hers in a world that wasn't hers for people she had only just met.

When they lost the light Gandalf called a halt to their treck though the outskirts of Caras Galadhon and they set up camp. The wizard's curiosity got the best of him "Why are you helping the fellowship?" The question was direct and unapologetically pointed.

"I read of the war of the Ring in my world as you know. The fellowship are all good people, with good hearts, and I would have helped them is I'd met them in my world. The Valar really made the decision for me. I was brought here for a purpose, I intend to fulfill it especially now that I've met the people I'm meant to be helping and consider them my friends."

"What did you make of them when you spent time with them in the city?" Gandalf was half curious to her reaction and half hoping she'd give him some indication as to how they were dealing with his death.

"They're all so broken up about your loss. It was interesting to meet the Hobbits. Gimli took a while to warm up to me considering I'm an elf and all. Aragorn is just as I imagined him when I read the books. He will make fine King. Legolas was a good friend to me… very patient." She paused for a moment unsure what to say of the lost member. "Boromir will have died sometime this afternoon."

Gandalf's eyes shot up to her. "What?"

"Boromir tried to take the Ring from Frodo. The party was attacked by Urukhai and Boromir dies protecting Merry and Pippin who, as you know, we will meet a day ahead of the rest because they've been kidnapped. So many terrible things have happened and will keep happening and I cannot change them."

"The Valar are not intentionally cruel child. I think that they simply lack an understanding of what compassion is on a basic level. They selected you because you were the best for the task but I do not think they realized the toll it would take on your heart to have to stand by and watch such things." The old wizard placed a comforting hand on her shoulder briefly before laying out his bedroll and, by all appearances, falling asleep instantly.

Nina appreciated the wizard's words even if they didn't exactly make her feel better. Resigned to the fact that she was too far along her course to do anything about it now, Nina settled down to sleep. Her last though was the realization that she was one day closer to the impending reunion between her and the fellowship: between her and Legolas.

AN: Not my best work. This chapter was mostly setup for chapter 9. Let me know what you think please!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: We'll be skipping around a bit this chapter I'll try and make the POV's and scene changes clear. Please review and let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 9: Reunions

Legolas had been abnormally quiet since the battle with the Uruk-hai. Gimli may not have been the biggest fan of the elf (he WAS a dwarf after all and the brats father HAD held his father prisoner) but the change in him was slightly disheartening. Boromir's death came as a bit of a shock to all of them but Legolas looked almost as if the event had personally wounded him. Maybe the Elf had been closer to the Gondorian than he'd known? Then his expression would occasionally lighten and Gimli had the sneaking suspicion that the elf was thinking of their pretty little friend who'd been left behind in the Lady's forest. While Gimli was never one to begrudge a fellow his thoughts about a woman, there were surely more appropriate times to be pining than during and ork hunt.

Even contemplative as he was, Legolas was outpacing the dwarf and rangers easily. Gimli couldn't help but mutter to himself about how unnatural the stamina of elves was. The dwarf pumped his legs a bit faster driven by the hope of catching up to wayward hobbits.

Aragorn had stopped again and was listening to the vibrations in the earth. "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Gimli silently wondered what exactly they'd been doing for days on end if not hurrying.

"Come on Gimli!" The elf shouted as he shot ahead again. Well at least Aragorn's news had broken the elf out of his contemplation.

Annoyed at their pestering Gimli bit out a reply "Three days and nights pursuit. No food, no rest, no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." He heard the ranger snort in response and forced his short legs to move a bit quicker. If he was alive when all of this was over he was never running again.

Sometime later Aragorn dropped to his knees in the trampled path the Uruk-hai had left and fished a leaf broach out of the turned earth. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall."

The elf approached the stricken ranger "They may yet be alive" Gimli knew it was a naïve hope but he really wanted the elf to be right. Merry and Pippin were good companions and their loss would grieve him.

Apparently Legolas's words were enough to galvanize the man and he stood "Less than a day ahead of us. Come." The three took off in direction of the monsters trail.

"Come! Gimli we are gaining on them!" The elf looked far too amused at the dwarf's struggles.

"I am wasted on cross country. We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances!" His companions laughed ahead of him and he smiled slightly. He had a feeling that if they didn't take the small opportunities at happiness they found now the future was going to be bleak indeed. He caught up to the two taller males at the top of the next ridge.

"Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us." When the man said things like that Gimli was forcefully reined that the king-in-waiting had some elf blood in him. Such profound insight was eerie to practical creatures like dwarves. The dwarf's keen eyes caught the elf bringing a hand to the pocket on his pack and pull out a small scroll of parchment before returning it as if to remind himself that it was still there. Legolas had run a bit ahead and was staring into the distance with his superior eyesight to scout ahead before the dwarf could ask him about it. "Legolas what do your Elf-eyes see?"

"The Uruk's turn northeast. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!" Gimli froze. A war party of Uruk-hai they may be able to handle. A wizard gone mad and allied with Mordor they most certainly could not.

Aragorn muttered the wizards name to himself clearly thinking along the same lines as Gimli. The two concerned males went to follow the elf. They could only hope they would catch up to the party before they made it too close to the wizard.

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Legolas couldn't decide what to think or feel or believe. Such mental disquiet was out of character for him and for elves as a race. His mind bounced from Nina, to Boromir's death, to Nina, and back to Boromir. She'd said he would hate her the next time he saw her. Was this what she meant? Certainly she'd left out quite a bit of information he'd have liked to know but he was an elf, he understood that some things happened for a reason and could not be avoided even by those with foresight. Then there was the message she'd entrusted to him. He'd checked to make sure it was still secure when Aragorn had mentioned they were in Rohan. If Nina was to believed (which at this point there was no doubt she saw their path truly) he'd be running into the King's nephew soon. She'd mentioned something about not trying to kill him and he dismissed it as one of her odd jokes. What possible reason could he have for trying to kill such a man?

Beyond her mysterious words and the message she'd given him there was the matter of the kiss. He'd been so shocked at her action he'd been unable to move or speak or respond in any way and then she'd run off and placed the Lady of Light as a barrier between them. For a moment he'd thought perhaps she regretted it but the blush and trace of longing he'd seen in her face just before the boat had turned out of sight was enough to negate that theory.

Elven women weren't usually so… forward. Not that he had any problems with Nina making such a move but Legolas was now trying to figure out what he should do when he next saw her and she'd implied that they'd be meeting up soon. The sound of hoof beats heading towards them was enough to break him from his musings. He joined his companions behind a nearby boulder and waited for the party to pass before Aragorn stepped out and called to the Rohirim, "Riders of Rohan. What news from the mark?" The reaction of the horsemen was decidedly unfriendly

Now surrounded by spear brandishing riders Legolas began to understand Nina's vague cautionary advice. Their leader came forward and addressed them suspiciously "What business does an elf, a man, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

Gimli of course took offence to the brisk attitude of the man. "Give me your name horsemaster and I shall give you mine." Some times Legolas wondered if the dwarf was trying to aggravate all those around him. It was no wonder elves had a distaste for his kind in general.

"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." The man stared down at Gimli menacingly.

Annoying of not, Legolas couldn't allow this man to threaten his companion "You would die before your stroke fell." His bow was trained directly at the leader's neck and the spears moved closer in response. Aragorn immediately told him to stand down and he reluctantly dropped his arm.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli son of Gloin and Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden your King." Aragorn tried to appease the now irate leader of the horsemen.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin." Mentally, Legolas cursed. So Nina's warning had been serious. How would he convince the man to take the message now that he'd basically threatened the man's life? Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished. The white wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked, and everywhere his spies slip past our nets." Clearly the man did not trust them.

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive." The man who must be Eomer looked mildly surprised at this revelation.

"The Uruk's are destroyed; we slaughtered them during the night." When he did not mention finding the hobbits Legolas felt concern being to fill him. They could not lose Merry and Pippin.

Gimli was clearly thinking along the same lines as he questioned the man, "But there were to hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?"

Aragorn, clearly seeing the confusion at the word hobbit, explained "They would be small, only children to your eyes." It seemed their little group had become so accustomed to the shirelings that they'd forgotten most other people didn't even know what a Halfling was.

Eomer's response was apologetic "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." The finality of the statement was dismaying.

"Dead?" Gimli's question wasn't really directed at anyone but Eomer answered him anyway.

"I am sorry" Legolas felt compelled to offer the dwarf some form of comfort and patted his shoulder awkwardly. His already overburdened mind not quite accepting the idea that it may have all been for nothing. Eomer whistled shrilly and Legolas tried not to wince as his sensitive ears rung sharply. "Hasufel, Arod. May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." Eomer moved to mount his horse again and Legolas seized his chance.

"Wait!" The man froze and turned back to him mirroring the surprised looks he was receiving form his two companions. "In our travels we encountered one of my kind with the gift of foresight she asked me to pass this along should I find myself in Rohan speaking to the King's nephew. You are Eomer, correct." The man looked startled to see the elf speak his name and reached out to take the offered missive. He unrolled the paper and read for a moment f=before his eyes flashed up to meet Legolas again.

"How confident are you that she sees and speaks the truth?" Whatever Nina had put on the scroll was enough to shake the man clearly.

"Elves do not lie and Nina sees the paths of the future clearly. If she has advised you, you should heed her warning." Eomer nodded absently and mounted his horse.

"The river settlements are under attack from wild men. We ride east!" He shouted to his company before turning to the three companions. "Thank you. Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It is forsaken in these lands." With that the company thundered off in a direction different than they'd been headed when they came across the companions.

Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas loaded themselves on their borrowed horse and headed for the distant smoke of the Uruk's pyre. When Aragorn tracked the Hobbits away from the slaughter and into Fangorn Forest Legolas couldn't help but wonder if the quick death of the battle might have been better than the dangers of the wild forest. Even an elf such as himself had a healthy respect for such a place. Fangorn was old and the elves of ages past had begun the changes that eventually left the entire forest sentient. As they stood on the edge of the treeline, releasing their horses to roam freely and perhaps return to their home Legolas listened to the trees speaking to each other in wonder.

With a final glance at each other the three men breached the treeline and doggedly followed the little indications that hobbits had passed though. If Merry and Pippin were still alive, the fellowship would find them.

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The hobbits had been delighted to see Gandalf and Nina. Nina personally thought that had something to do with the fact that Gandalf confirmed that they were, in fact, Hobbits and should not be harmed. They'd had a chance to talk, eat, and rest for a few hours before Gandalf asked Treebeard to take the young hobbits home. When they'd protested Nina had whispered to Merry that "perhaps they just need a little perspective. Let it never be said that the stubbornness of Hobbits fail to sway an Ent." Of course the hobbit didn't understand yet but she knew he'd figure it out eventually. They'd gone willingly after Gandalf and Nina promised that they would meet again.

Almost a day later the trees were acting up again. There was a second intrusion in the forest. Clearly the Fellowship had come. Nina had spoken with Gandalf of her plans after the hobbits had left the previous evening. She was not supposed to be there at this particular reunion so she'd go collect the horses and meet them in the valley. The horses were waiting in the valley by the edge of the forest closest to Edoras as they'd been unwilling to pass the borders of Fangorn, not that Nina blamed them. As she trekked to meet them she kept her bow at the ready; the forest was too alive for her to feel comfortable as she had in Caras Galadhon. When she finally broke through the cover of the trees she let out a sigh of relief and made for the crest of the hill to gaze into the small valley.

Maybe a mile away from her vantage point she saw not two, but four, horses grazing by the river. The borrowed Rohirim horses had come, that was convenient. Nina strolled down to meet them and lovingly ran her hands over Tala who affectionately butted her head against her shoulder. She fished an apple out of her pack for each of the horses and then set herself against a large rock in the shade to wait for her companions to catch up. The sudden alertness of the horses was her queue to look up at the forest. She smiled widely at the three shocked and one amused figures staring at her.

"What-How- Ah lass it's good to see you!" The affectionate speech of the dwarf was surprising to say the least but she returned his words with a soft smile.

"I told you we'd be meeting up sooner than you'd think." She teased him. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more about Boromir, and the Hobbits, and Gandalf. It's just; everything needs to happen in the right order with perfect timing or it all falls down around us." Those words were clearly mostly directed at Legolas who was still staring at her but it was Aragorn who spoke next.

"It is all right Nina, we understand. Are we camping here for the night?" He gave her a quick half hug of welcome as he checked the sun continued progress in sinking behind the horizon.

"We'll set out at first light tomorrow. You all need some rest before we get back on the road." Gandalf confirmed before setting his pack down and going to speak with Shadowfax who look a bit put out that the wizard had greeted her before him. Legolas still hadn't said anything and Aragorn and Gimli took it upon themselves to find some fallen branches to get a fire going.

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Tala broke the uncomfortable silence between the two elves and she trotted over to investigate the newcomer. The nosey, spirited mare shoved her nose directly in his face and Nina laughed. "Tala, it's rude to stare." The mare turned to eye its mistress before snuffing at the ellon's hands and pack, clearly hoping for a treat. "Come here greedy, I have what you're looking for." Nina produced another apple form her pack and let Tala take it from her and trot away with her prize.

"She liked you." She told the amused ellon in front of her. He laughed and Nina could practically feel the sound make her tense muscles relax.

"I take it she belongs to you? He sat down next to her nonchalantly and Nina wondered if he'd put her behavior at their last meeting out of his mind. Maybe they could pretend like nothing had happened.

"Haldir's loaning her to me. I had a horse just like her back in my world. Same spirit; my Grace was a brat too." She smiled sadly. Grace was one of the only things she really missed from her old home. She was a good horse though and Nina was sure the stable owner had found her a new rider.

"Do you travel with us to Edoras in the morning?" Legolas asked, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled. She really had missed him a frightening amount.

"I'll be with all of you until Gandalf goes to find Eomer. You gave him my message right?" She'd almost forgotten she'd given it to him.

Legolas's sheepish smile made her wonder if she'd taken her advice regarding that particular interaction. "He has it. Though he wasn't entirely sure he could trust me after I threatened to kill him..." He trailed off at Nina's laugh. Perhaps she should have been more specific with her warning on that one but so many turning points were tied to details that she'd been leery of giving away too much information.

"Well, either way a lot of villagers are going to live that would have died. And we did need the riders to slow you down a bit. Merry and Pippin need to be on their own with Treebeard for this next bit." She smiled at the thought of two hobbits inspiring a whole gang of tree-herder's to go to war.

"What are you plotting now?" He asked, nudging the smiling elleth's shoulder. Her eyes flicked back to meet his and she grinned.

"Merry and Pippin are the catalysts to Saurman's defeat. By the time we see them again, they'll have pulled off the biggest stunt of their lives. The Ents are going to war Legolas." Her grin grew wider as the elf's face went blank with shock. "I wish I could have told you all of this would happen when we were in Lothlorien." Of course, even the name of her new home brought up memories of their last interaction there and she immediately averted her eyes.

Legolas meanwhile had interpreted her refusal to meet his eyes as shame and turned her face by the chin. "You cannot control everything Nina. I know that. I cannot hold what must come to pass against you" He saw a small bit of relief in her eyes but not as much as he thought he would if he'd calmed her fears. Was she worried about something else? He still hadn't figured out how to address the topic of her kiss so he jumped at the chance to delay that conversation by calming whatever fears were plaguing her. "What has you so troubled, little one?"

Nina was silent for a long moment before flicking her gaze around them as if checking to see if anyone was listening. Finally she spoke and Legolas felt like the ground had dropped out from under him, "I am just relieved that we can still be friends. I have been worried that we wouldn't be able to talk like this after my behavior in Lothlorien…" she broke his gaze and turned away from him as she blushed.

Serves him right for trying to avoid the subject. Of course she was worried about it! He hadn't done anything to make her feel secure in the reception of her affections. This wasn't really the place, time, or privacy he required to have this conversation with her at length but he had to do something to bridge to awkward distance he felt growing between them.

Legolas turned her face towards him again, making her meet his eyes. "There was nothing wrong with your behavior in Lothlorien" he said softly before placing a soft kiss on top of her head as her pulled her into an embrace. IT was an innocent enough action that he felt comfortable with the contact in view of their companions but he hoped Nina understood his meaning. Judging from how quickly she returned his embrace and the smile he could practically feel forming on her face Legolas was satisfied that he had resolved the issue until they could speak alone. Nina let out a content sigh and leaned more fully into him, clearly satisfied to stay in that position until Gimli called for them to come eat supper.

AN: longer than the last one. Next chapter will be up soon hopefully! Please review and let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- I am not Tolkien.

AN: Getting back in the swing of regular updates. Thanks to all of my super supportive reviewers- you guys are the absolute best! Let's keep moving along. Let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 10: Traveling, Rohan, and Appearances of Impropriety

Nina had given her companions fair warning about the poor welcome they would receive when they got to the city with a special reminder for Gandalf to not surrender his staff. After her short words of wisdom she'd led Tala off a little bit from the group of riders and tried very hard not to feel the stares she got from the Fellowship. Despite being told she had the gift of foresight, Gimli and Aragorn appeared to still be skeptical of her information. She couldn't really blame them; the last time Aragorn had been in Rohan, Saruman hadn't yet been turned to serve the dark.

Gandalf, Nina thought, was a bit like Celeborn. He regarded her with a sort of bemused affection and constantly seemed to be trying to puzzle out exactly who or what she was. It was slightly gratifying to know that she was confusing to someone so old and so full of wisdom.

The elleth was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't catch Aragorn calling her name. Reluctantly she nudged Tala back towards the group that had dismounted and appeared to be digging supplies form lunch out of their packs. While she was glad for the rest (even with her experience on horseback an entire half-day riding was murder on her muscles) Nina was anxious to get to Edoras. She wanted to see that Eomer had gotten to the River villages quickly enough to spare the people's lives, she wanted to see Théoden released from his binding, and she wanted a chance to talk to Legolas like they used to in Lothlorien.

Since she and Legolas had spoken at the edge of Fangorn Nina felt as if they had some sort of understanding. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't exactly sure what it was they'd silently agreed to when he'd put her at ease about kissing him goodbye weeks ago. Half the time when she felt his gaze on her she wanted to drag him out of earshot of the others and just straight out ask him what she was to him but that was clearly not going to happen. Legolas was very careful about how much contact they had, how much space was between them and the others, and it occurred to Nina that she was living in times comparable to Earth's Middle Ages. Even innocent physical intimacy such as they'd engaged in before the kiss in Lothlorien would be deemed improper by the peoples of this world.

The temptation to explain in detail how little such propriety was a part of her home world was an urge she found it harder and harder to resist. She'd grown used to how he treated her in Caras Galadhon and this new set of rules he seemed to be silently imposing (for her own good of course) was making her anxious and jumpy. When they got to Edoras Nina planned to monopolize on the hectic nature of the feasts to get a private moment with him if only so she could know where they stood.

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Legolas had never realized how much energy it took to not think about something. It was almost pathetic how drastic an impact the elleth in their company had on his equilibrium. He'd maintained as much distance between the two of them as possible since the night of their reunion if only to keep him from being too forward and offending the beautiful young girl. Back in Lothlorien he'd been more physically affectionate than propriety really allowed for but such displays had always been in private such as the time he'd held her as she mourned her old life. Now however, he was starting to read a whole new level of anxiety off the girl every time his gaze drifted to her form.

Was she nervous about the rough welcome she'd told them to expect? Was the edginess he sensed in her a result of some inner conflict or was she really as disconcerted about the change in their friendship as he was? No matter how many times Legolas repeated these questions to himself he found no answers. Truly, he and Nina needed to speak at length, privately, as soon as possible. That, and he could use a few hours of sleep seeing as he hadn't slept in days.

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The fellowship's arrival had gone as Nina remembered it. Her presence caused no change beyond the addition of some leering from the guards and some skeptical looks from the females in the room at her tunic and leggings. Nina supposed dressing in men's clothing was horribly scandalous of her even in rough country such as Rohan.

"I'm sure you would all like a chance to rest. Come, I'll show you to our guest rooms." The King's niece, Eowen, tried to stop herself from staring at Aragorn unsuccessfully and Nina sighed inwardly. She was going to have to speak with the girl. There was no reason for her to go through heartbreak when her emotions could be negated before they had a chance to grow from hope. Nina tried to keep up with the many twists and turns the woman led them down and silently resigned herself to being hopelessly lost. Eowen deposited Aragorn, Gandalf, and Gimli at rooms along the right side of the 'guest wing' before she turned to the elves. "Are the two of you married?"

"No, we are not." Nina said almost too quickly earning her curious looks form both her companions.

"In that case we'll put you up in the ladies chambers in the East wing. And you, Milord, can stay here." The woman motioned to the room next to Aragorn's but he wasn't watching her. His eyes were trained on the panicked expression that Nina was trying to fight down. He could tell she was only moments away from objecting and was unsurprised when she spoke up.

"If it's no trouble, I would prefer to stay with my companions." The announcement was, unsurprisingly, met with a shocked moment of pause from the Lady. Nina winced internally and figured she may as well resign herself to having some sort of horrible reputation among proper society.

"My Lady a woman lodging alone in the quarters of men is highly improper! Travelling in the company of men is one thing but we are a civilized house and proper lodgings will be found for you!" Nina rocked back on her heels a bit at the venom in the woman's voice. She'd been expecting some form of 'no' to her request but being scolded like a child was far beyond her predictions.

One of the things Nina still hadn't fully adjusted to since her transformation was the strength of her emotions. At Eowen's word she felt a wave of irrational anger towards the woman that easily matched the force of her unease about being parted from her company. She was just about to tear into the older woman with vitriol she used to reserve for patronizing assholes at work in her old life Legolas stepped in.

"Please excuse Nina, Lady Eowen. The rules of propriety are vastly different where she comes from. She has not quite adjusted." Eowen looked pacified by this speech and Nina was shocked to find her anger at the woman abating as she regarded the ellon with shock. Was she really so different form him? Was her lack of propriety an embarrassment to him? It had to be if he was apologizing for her. That pit of conflicted emotions about her new life was opening again and he elleth fought to keep her face blank and project a facade of calm she most certainly did not feel.

"Yes, I am unused to your rules of behavior. I often have trouble reading situations. Please, show me to the woman's quarters." Nina refused to meet Legolas's incredulous stare and followed the older woman without looking back or saying goodbye. She wasn't entirely certain she could interact with the ellon right then without falling apart once again. The ellon had made it quite clear between his actions and his words that the physical and emotional support she needed was improper for her to ask of him. The walk through the turning corridors was silent and Eowen deposited the elleth at a room in the woman's quarters and assurances that a bath would be drawn for her within the hour.

Nina was in a daze. She walked woodenly to the large four poster bed on the far wall of the room and set down her pack and weapons. Eowen had told her to make a bundle of her dirty clothing so it could be washed and returned to her. Unpacking kept her hands busy and Nina steadfastly focused on tracing the curving vines that formed a complicated pattern on the beds coverlet to occupy her frantic mind. She unpacked her meager belongings, cleaned and checked over her weapons, repacked her travel gear she wouldn't need in the castle, and spent several minutes studying the view of the plains from her window by the time two servants entered the room to fill the bath which was set in the corner of her borrowed room behind a privacy screen.

Never before had Nina appreciated the simple act of bathing as much as she did at that moment. She'd dismissed the maids with assurances that she could, in fact, bathe herself and let out a relived sigh when they collected her dirty clothing and left her alone. Almost an hour later the water had gone cold and Nina forced herself to get out of the water and dress in the soft robe the maids had left for her. The material was velvet soft and she curled up on the massive bed forcing herself to sleep if only to hide from her thoughts for a few hours.

An indeterminate amount of time later a knock sounded at the elleth's door and she started awake. "Nina! Dinner is being served." Legolas' voice called to her from the hall and Nina felt a surge of panic. She wasn't ready to face reality quite yet. A small selfish part of her wanted time to mourn not only the life she'd left behind but the person she used to be. She couldn't continue the way she was now, that much was becoming clear, and the adjustment was going to take time.

She did not answer Legolas, instead staying absolutely still and silent in hopes that he would assume she was not in her room. He knocked again but after a few more minutes of silence she heard the sound of his soft footsteps retreating from her door.

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Gimli was concerned. Gimli was concerned about the elf. If he made it out of this insane quest alive he was going to have to get his head checked. Legolas had been unusually quiet since they'd been summoned for dinner. He'd gone off with a servant to retrieve the elf lass and come back empty handed and looking a bit off balance. They'd been in the great hall for over two hours and the elf hadn't said more than two sentenced, all of which were a polite greeting to Eowen and an inquiry into where the elf lass was. When the Lady said she hadn't seen Nina since depositing her in her room even Gimli had to admit her was concerned for the young elf who'd been in their company so long but he was clearly not as overwhelmed as Legolas.

"Oi Elf! What has you so quiet? I'm sure the lass is fine. Perhaps she just wanted to be alone? After all she's been stuck with us for days. No woman wants to deal with a bunch of men at all hours even one as strange as the she elf!" Gimli, admittedly, may have drunk quite a bit of the excellent ale and his words of comfort were more shouted than spoken. Unfortunately for the elf, Gimli was not quite drunk enough to miss the slight flush spreading across the elf's face at being called out on how the elleth consumed his thoughts. The dwarf was never one to pass up an opportunity to mock his elf companion and continued speaking (though the elf was exceedingly grateful his voice had lowered a bit so only those around them could overhear) "But of course, you have your own reasons for wanting her around all of the time. She's probably homesick and without those brothers of hers to interfere you could be comforting her right now if you know what I mean" the dwarfs cheeky grin more than implied what it was he meant.

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If he wasn't absolutely certain Gimli held Nina in the highest respect he'd likely have struck him for speaking about her in such a manner. As it was, his words struck a little too close to home and, as soon as was polite Legolas excused himself and quietly went in search of his errant friend. Something was clearly bothering her, and had been doing so since he'd made excuses for her to Eowen earlier. Things had been off between them since he left Lothlorien and he wished there was a way he could force them to have the conversation they so clearly needed to have about their relationship.

Legolas carefully traced his way through the halls and came to a stop outside Nina's room staring at the dark wood door as if it would come to life and speak for the elleth he hoped was behind it. Taking a deep, bracing breath Legolas knocked lightly on the wood for the second time that evening. "Nina. May I come in?" He heard her breath hitch quietly and waited a moment for her to respond. She did not. "Nina. I know you can hear me. I am going to come in." He paused for another moment, hoping she would respond. When she remained silent again Legolas went against every lesson in manners and propriety he'd ever learned and entered her room without her permission shutting the door behind him.

What met the ellon's eyes was not at all what he expected. Nina was curled up at the foot of the four poster bed staring out the unshuttered window wearing nothing more than a dressing robe. She didn't turn to acknowledge him or make any indication she was aware of her surroundings. What on earth had happened to cause such behavior? "Nina, please look at me. Whatever it is that troubles you I would like to help." He breathing became uneven for a moment and Legolas was almost certain she was going to speak but all she did was tense her shoulders and continue her perusal of the view. The Prince found himself somewhat affronted at how clearly she was ignoring him. He strode forward and sat himself next to her before moving to place a hand on her shoulder. He did not expect her to catch his wrist before it came in contact with her and pushing it away.

"Please don't. There's no need for you to concern yourself over me. I'll be leaving tomorrow evening anyway." Her voice was pitched in that same cold tone she used with Eowen earlier and Legolas wished he could see her face which hadn't moves from the window. Even her profile was obscured by her tangled hair.

"Nina what in the name of the Valar is wrong with you? You've been acting odd since we arrived. Have I done something to offend you?" He again reached for her, this time to turn her head towards him. She didn't fight him this time though once he could see her properly he was shocked shed managed it the first time. The face was streaked with tear tracks and fresh tears streamed down her face though she didn't seem to notice their presence. Her entire face spoke of something breaking, falling apart, and being lost in the world. It broke his heart and in that moment he swore he would do all that was in his power to keep her from feeling this way again. For now all he could do was help her through it. He remembered her first breakdown in Lothlorien when she'd confide din him how much stronger and uncontrollable emotions felt in her new body. It appeared that the tides of emotions had again swept her away and Legolas wrapped his arms around her, mindless of her protests until she manages to wriggle out of his arms and into a heap on the floor. The eyes that stared up at him were wary.

"What do you want Legolas?" Her crying had not stopped and it looked as if each word was actually painful to spit out.

"I want to help. Tell me what I can do." Never in his life had he felt as useless as he did sitting on the elleth's bed. There was no enemy he could defeat, no wrongdoer to be punished, and she would not allow him to comfort her.

"I don't want you to do anything. I will be fine. You do not need to trouble yourself for someone like me and I do not need your pity." He words were less cold now and tinged with something like anger. Where was all of this coming from?

"Someone like you? What do you mean? Nina you are my friend, of course I worry when you are not well. I simply do not understand why you will not let me help!" His anger was rising in response to hers and he fought to keep it in check.

"Are we friends? Because you've hardly spoken to me since Lothlorien and it's more than clear you find my conduct and my… actions distasteful." Again she would not meet his eyes and confusion had completely overwhelmed his budding anger at the confusing elleth on the floor (why was she still on the floor?) in front of him.

"Of course you are my friend! I simply have not wanted to overstep or give others the impression that we were… more intimately related. And in lands such as this and elf is curiosity enough without adding the appearance of impropriety."

"Legolas there is an element of equality and openness where I am from that is a far ways off in Middle Earth. In my home women dress in pants and bear skin in quantities that would scandalize you as a matter of course. Then your Valar snatch me from my world, change my species and abandon me in a strange land in a body that I cannot control. They leave me in the keeping of the Lady of Light and I meet a whole new family that teaches me to fight and live as one of them and then I meet new friends who I have been waiting for since my arrival and whom are the reason for my whole new life in the first place. I make friends with this ellon who is kind to me and is the only one besides Galadriel, Celeborn, and Gandalf who knows who and what I am so for the first time since before I was brought here I felt normal and then suddenly after an impulsive move from me that my friend assured me was not going to ruin our friendship that ellon does not speak to me, look at me, or seem to understand me at all. The appearance of impropriety means absolutely nothing to me. You are the one who has chosen to push me away so forgive me if I do not wish to confide in you again and risk the same fate twice." With that said she rose from the floor and walked around the bed to curl up in the corner farthest away from the ellon plaguing her existence.

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Nina felt like her heart was literally breaking into pieces. She'd all but shouted at Legolas who she knew only wanted to help and yet she couldn't feel anything but the shattering emotions ricocheting around inside her defying control. She had expected Legolas to leave when she'd so clearly and rudely dismissed him. He did not leave. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she felt him rise from the opposite corner of the bed and traced his footsteps as they approached her rather than the door. She would not look at him. If she looked at him she'd do something she'd regret like talking more, or shouting, or hitting him, or crawling into his arms that she knew would make her feel better.

"Nina, look at me." By the sound of his voice he'd knelt in front of her. Some unnamed sense could feel his hand coming to rest on her balled up fists and Nina found she didn't have the resolve to keep her eyes shut AND stop him from laying hands on her. His stronger fingers forced her fist open and laced his hand through hers. "Nina please!" His tone was urgent and she found herself obeying without thought and winced when she realized what she'd done. Now that her eyes were open she couldn't seem to look away. There was an emotion reflected on Legolas's face that Nina could not name. It was sad, and stressed, and almost bereft. This was a much softer expression that the worried anger he'd been wearing earlier. She absently noticed that she was crying again and reflexively squeezed his hand.

"I feel like I'm going crazy." She admitted quietly, part of her wondering if he could make it go away and part of her wondering what had happened to her resolve not to go crawling back to him.

"I am so sorry Nina. I have been a terrible friend, causing you to doubt things you never should have been forced to question. It is not fair to be constantly changing how I treat you and expect you not to be hurt by it. You are important to me and I give you my word that I will try to remember how much our worlds differ." Nina could feel the little sliver of hope beginning to erode the hurt and confusion dominating the mess of emotions inside her.

"Does it bother you? My improper behavior? Because before with Eowen you apologized for my oddness as if I was an embarrassment or something." From the shocked widening of Legolas' eyes Nina assumed his answer would be a no and she instantly felt worse for thinking such thoughts of him.

"You. Are. Not. An. Embarrassment." He said firmly, his free hand coming to brush away her still falling tears. "I'll admit, I'm still getting used to how free you are with touch and how quickly you become familiar with men but I do not find a friendly nature to be a bad thing. You know that elves are far more relaxed about etiquette in such situations than humans. I've become so accustomed to adapting to the formality of court that I forgot how you might take my words."

Nina had the sudden and all together strange thought of how hopeless Legolas would be at interacting with women on Earth. She could just imagine how startled he'd be at seeing what could pass for females clothing in the summer and if he thought she was free with touch he'd be beside himself with the outright groping going on in bars and clubs she'd frequented with coworkers. Without permission her mouth let out a giggle which progressed to full laughter at the perplexed expression Legolas adopted in response. "I was just thinking how scandalized you'd be by the women back home who are actually bold in their association with men. They look me look like a nun!" His expression eased slightly but he still regarded her warily as if she might turn over and go back to freezing him out at any moment.

"What is a nun? Are you not considered a bold member of your gender in your world?"

"A nun is a woman who has devoted herself to service to the church. There are several religions with one god and those in service to the religion take vows of celibacy among other things. I was certainly not among the boldest of my gender. I rarely dated, I did not take lovers like many of my friends did, and I was more interested in being friends with most of the males in my acquaintance that I was never the one to initiate anything romantic in nature." She'd added that last bit on impulse, knowing that he'd recognize he was different from her other male friends giver She had kissed Him.

Legolas nodded absently, clearly intent on absorbing the given information. "The dinner service is likely over. Would you like me to get you something from the kitchen? You've missed dinner." Nina could understand his desire to change topics. Their interactions had been rather heavy tonight, and while much of what needed to be said had been laid out there was still quite a bit that hung in the air and neither of them were willing to bring it up.

"No thank you. I think there's still a bit of Lembas in my pack" She gestured vaguely to the wall against which her partially emptied pack lay. The Prince dragged it over to him and sifted through the contents first removing the large roll of fabric which held the medicinal herbs in its numerous pockets and handing tit to her with a questioning tilt of his eyebrow and then handing her a piece of Lembas which he nibbled on as she unrolled the fabric which took up nearly the whole length of the bed.

"I told you I was a paramedic right?" Legolas nodded silently as his eyes slid over the odd fabric contraption. "Just before I was brought over I'd begin looking into herbal remedies to supplement my training and to fulfill my curiosity. Lady Galadriel and the Lothlorien healers taught me more than I could ever remember when I told them I was interested in learning more. Orophin had this made for me before I left with Gandalf. There are over 200 pockets in the scroll and each pocket has a wax paper envelope filled with an herb. Most of the uncommon ones are marked just in case I forget but the basics fill the larger pockets near the open end so I wouldn't have to unroll the whole thing while traveling if I needed to bring down a fever or disinfect a cut." Her enthusiasm about her gift was clear and managed to sweep away the lingering traces of the broken person shed been just half an hour before.

"Is this something you'd like to do after the quest is over? Most women do not have a vocation like they did in your world but healers are invaluable and you seem to enjoy it." It appeared that Legolas had also relaxed and Nina hid a smile at the almost familiar feeling of just talking to him without tension or interference. Of course his question brought up her doubts about her future.

"As far as I know the jump from my world to Middle Earth was one way only. I suppose I will need to find something to do with myself though I think Galadriel means for me to finish my instruction under her. The Valar also indicated that there was some enduring reason for my presence, some role I'm supposed to play that outlasts the coming war. If it were an option I suppose I would like to be a healer again though I think I'd prefer to work with the armies and soldiers than in a house of healing."

"Wherever I end up in the end of all this you will always be welcome and I will find a place for you to do work you love if that is your desire." His words pacified a fear of not belonging she hadn't voiced but he'd known about regardless.

"It's almost funny. I know exactly where you'll be and what will happen when and how yet I know nothing of my own future beyond a few key points where I will make some inconsequential decision that may save a few lives that would otherwise be lost." She smiled sadly and sat up, stretching out her muscles that were tight from her restrictive position.

"At least you know how the rest of us feel to a certain extent then," He teased and she noticed with a start that she was still clutching his hand tightly. She relaxed her grip before removing her hand entirely and moving it to assess the damage that was her unbrushed mess of hair. She grimaced at the tangled feel.

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Noticing Nina's new preoccupation and searching for any excuse to stay with her just a little bit longer Legolas grabbed the brush he saw on the dresser and moved to sit behind her. "Let me, little one." He said and he eased himself down onto the bed and began the painstaking process of turning her mass of curled and knotted hair into the dark, sleek curtain it usually was.

While he worked they spoke of inconsequential things- how Nina was planning to save Eowen the trouble of falling for a taken man, how Legolas was contemplating finding the archery range in the morning to practice, how Nina was not really looking forward to leaving the following evening because it would mean another three days in the saddle, how Legolas was contemplating challenging Gimli to another ridiculous contest: perhaps a drinking contest since he'd be sure to win, how Nina loved her horse more than any other female in Middle Earth other than the Lady: and yes that meant she was not overly fond of Eowen. There were still unresolved issues of course but the elves were once again comfortable and when Legolas left that night to find his own bed they'd spent hours alone in her room with the door closed with both of them on her bed and neither commented on the impropriety of such a thing. When Legolas finally laid down to rest he fell into sleep more easily than he had since Lothlorien and he dreamed of kisses, and Nina, and the promises peacetime could hold.

AN: Next up we have the battle, the return to Haldir, less Nina-Legolas Angst, and more Nina-Legolas fluff for fun Let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: I really appreciate all of your support and feedback. Keep it coming!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 11: Arrivals and Departures

As a consequence of Nina and Legolas's late night conversation the elleth woke well after the sun had risen to the sound of a maid knocking. The woman gave her a decidedly disapproving look and Nina silently wondered if it was due to her race or how late she'd slept.

"The bath will be ready for you in just a minute. We came by earlier but you were still abed. Lady Eowen said to let you rest until breakfast." At least Nina knew what the woman's sour face was about now.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Nina gave her a tentative smile in hopes of thawing the icy woman's disapproval. Considering the maid gave her a skeptical look and left the room without responding sent a fairly clear message. The elleth shook her head and sorted through the bundle of her clean clothing the maid had left, packing away what she wouldn't need for the day. As she waited for the bath she took stock of her supplies and finished packing for leaving with Gandalf later that day (though, of course, Gandalf didn't know he was leaving quite yet).

Less than half an hour later Nina had washed and dressed herself in a tunic and leggings that would be suitable for the hard riding she would have to begin in just a few hours and went in search of breakfast.

"There's the lass!" Gimli's overly cheerful voice boomed form across the hall and Nina smiled, relaxing into the familiar interaction as she went to sit near Aragorn and Legolas while Gimli was entertaining some of the younger men at a far table with Gandalf.

"Sorry about missing dinner last night. I guess I was more tired than I thought!" She slid onto the bench next to Aragorn who flashed her a quick smile before returning to his food. The Ranger had never been much of a morning person which was fine by Nina. A servant placed a plate in front of her and left before she could turn to thank him, refusing to meet her eyes as was polite. She frowned slightly and wondered if all servants were as unfriendly as the few she'd met this morning.

"_What troubles you, my friend?_" Legolas asked her quietly in Elvish, having noticed her frown.

Nina smiled at his concern and wracked her brain trying to remember the words she would need to respond to him in kind. Perhaps she should get him to practice the language with her before the disuse rendered her completely unable to use her hard won knowledge. "_It is nothing. I think I must have done something to offend the servants. That was the second one who has refused to look me in the eye."_ She shrugged and began her meal, determined to put the incident out of her mind. "_The funeral is this morning, correct?"_

_ "The service begins in half an hour. Will you be coming?" _It appeared that Aragorn had finally joined the land of the living as he was the one to respond to her question.

"_Yes, we will be receiving a few visitors just after the ceremony and I would like to be there."_ She winced slightly thinking about the two small children who would be riding into Edoras soon. "_I would suggest you get packed before the funeral."_ The men gave her identical confused looks but she just smiled and gave them a non-answer "_the story is moving forward and what is about to happen cannot be changed"_ With that Nina nodded to them and went to check on Tala in the stables.

The stable hands gave the young elleth a wide berth and she was grateful for the distance. Brushing down Haldir's mare have her time to really think about what she was about to do. She'd checked the mirror before leaving Lothlorien to find where she could meet up with the Galadhirm while Gandalf went in search of the Rohirim. Helms Deep was quite possibly one of the most important events she was going to try and change. The weight of responsibility was stifling and were it not her adoptive brother who she was braving battle for, Nina feared she may have chickened out. "We'll be seeing Haldir soon girl. Are you as excited as I am?" She muttered under her breath to the horse. At the name of the Marchwarden Tala threw her head and pressed closer to her elleth.

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Aragorn was distinctly uncomfortable in Rohan. He'd been there countless times before as a Ranger but he'd never been the center of so much attention; nor had he been forced to attend the funeral of a child prince. The ranger was unspeakably jealous of the two elves who had positioned themselves on the very farthest fringes of the assembly. Of course, his jealousy might have more to do with their closeness when he was so far from his beloved than their relative anonymity. It was clear to the man that something had shifted for the two elves since their time in Lothlorien. As much as he was happy to see his longtime friend finally showing some interest in an elleth Aragorn was worried.

Nina was lovely but the Ranger couldn't help but wonder what she was hiding. Her background was foggy at best. She claimed he people were form a land far to the East and yet he had never heard of Elvin societies beyond the kingdoms of Middle Earth. Her manners and speech were also a curiosity he'd noticed in Lothlorien but stood out more glaringly in Rohan when she was surrounded by humans. The girl acted more like a human than an elleth with her emotional displays and relaxed speech (especially given how poor she was at Elvish). He was also confused by her foresight. From what he knew of Elrond foresight was not an exact practice. The elleth in their company was far too certain of the events she'd decided to change for this to be a normal Elvin gift. Aragorn could only assume Legolas had been given a more detailed account of the elleth and tried to content himself with following the ellon's judgment which had never steered him wrong.

The King had finished his tearful eulogy for his only son and the mourners were gathering to place flowers on the new grave. He noticed that the two elves kept their gaze trained on the western horizon and, in response to something their superior eyesight took note of, began running towards whatever it was that had their attention.

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Legolas really needed to stop being so surprised when Nina's foreknowledge played out in front of him. Just as the service for the prince ended a horse appeared on the horizon they'd been scanning. Nina turned to him and gave a wide grin before darting off to meet the newcomers with him close behind her. Within minutes they'd reached the children and Nina had quickly taken charge, depositing the young boy who looked as if he were about to faint in his arms and taking the smaller girl herself.

Nina kept the horses lead in her hand as she hoisted the girl onto her hip and spoke to her "Are you well child?" Legolas could feel the soft concern in her voice and had an unbidden thought of how she would be a fantastic mother. The ellon pushed the traitorous thought down and focused on the situation at hand.

"Is Eothain alright? I wanted to stop but he said we had to keep moving!" The girl craned her head over Nina's shoulder to catch a glimpse of her brother.

"Eothain will be just fine Freda. Legolas is taking good care of him and we'll be in the city in just a few minutes. I bet you're hungry. How about we get the both of you supper and then you can get cleaned up?" The same cooing voice appeared to settle the young girl down beginning to fall asleep as her brother had and Legolas noticed she never thought to ask the elleth how she knew her name.

When they finally made it back to the city there was a large party of stunned people waiting for them. Aragorn, Gimli, and Gandalf regarded the pair of elves with a sort of calm understanding seeing as they knew of Nina's foresight to some extent. Eowen and the five of so maids and servants behind her looked confused and Nina had to tap a stable hand on the shoulder three times before he took the horse from her. Finally coming out of the stupor, Eowen and one of the maids came forward to relive the elves of the children clinging to them and Nina tried not to laugh as both clung to their current carriers, refusing to leave the relative safety of their rescuers arms.

"I do not think they've eaten for several days. They've come from the river settlements which we attacked several days ago. Perhaps we could find them something to eat while your uncle is alerted to the raid?" Nina suggested calmly to a now slightly sour looking Eowen. The lady nodded curtly and turned back to the great hall, expecting the elves to follow. Legolas caught Nina's eye after the Lady had turned away and raised a questioning eyebrow wondering if she knew what was wrong with their hostess but Nina simply shrugged and silently followed the older woman inside.

Once they'd gotten the children situated on the benches and they were distracted enough by the food in front of them to let go of their rescuers Legolas and Nina approached the heated argument currently taking place by Théoden's throne.

"You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak. Eomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their King." Aragorn said to the King. Clearly they had arrived mid-conversation.

Théoden's face flickered for a moment as if considering the option of calling to the Rohirim before focusing his resolve as he stood "They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. Eomer cannot help us. I know what it is you want of me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war." Legolas fought down his irritation. Was this man stupid? The enemy was roaming his lands unchecked and he didn't want to take action. Did he care nothing for his people?

It appeared as though Aragorn was thinking the same as him as he pointed out the folly of the King's statement "Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."

The King looked down at Aragorn with clear irritation "When I last looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan."

When it looked like Aragorn was going to rise to the bait of Théoden's words Gandalf interceded "Then what is the King's decision?"

"We will move the city to Helms Deep. I dare the enemy to try and challenge us there!" With that said he strode away from his small council of foreigners and went to confer with Hama, who was waiting by the door for orders. Nina shook her head in resignation and walked back to the children with Legolas tailing her.

"Where is Mama? She promised she would be here!" Freda yelled at Eowen who was trying to get her to go with her to bathe. Eothain was nowhere to be seen but his food was gone so Legolas assumed he'd been taken away by a servant with less fuss. The little girl saw Nina approaching and wriggled her way out of Eowen's grasp to clutch at Nina's legs. "Lady! Where is Mama?"

Nina smiled sadly at the clearly overwrought little girl. "Your mother is waiting for you in Helms Deep. You have to behave yourself and do what Lady Eowen says alright? She and the maids will be looking after you and your brother until you see your mother again. If you stay with your brother and do as you're told I promise you that you will see her again." Legolas saw Eowen's face sour at the word Promise but the young girl nodded trustingly and went to take the hand of the maid Eowen had been trying to give her to earlier.

Once Freda was out of earshot Eowen turned to face the elleth. "What are you doing, giving a child such assurances? Her mother is probably dead and you just PROMISED her that she was waiting in Helms Deep!"

"I only make promises that I can keep Milady. Their mother is waiting at Helms Deep. They will be reunited not twenty paces inside the gate." Nina's voice was surprisingly calm nut Legolas caught the frustrated and slightly affronted look in her eye.

"You cannot possibly know that! And when the hopes you've built up come crashing down who is supposed to take care of the children?" Eowen was truly yelling now and Legolas was uncomfortably aware of how many eyes were watching the dramatic scene and decide to intervene.

"My Lady, if Nina says that the children will be reunited with their mother, they will. She has the gift of foresight and has never been wrong. Her warning is the reason your brother and his men got to the settlements in time to stop further destruction." Apparently Legolas's attempt to be reasonable was unsuccessful as Eowen turned on her heel and all but stormed out of the hall.

"She truly does not like me." Nina stated in awe as the Lady slammed the entrance door behind her. Legolas nodded in agreement and together they returned to Gandalf, Aragorn, and Gimli who had been watching the scene with rapt attention.

"What is our next move?" Gimli asked, breaking the slightly awkward moment of silence following the theatrics.

"Gandalf is leaving to find Eomer" Gandalf nodded in agreement, "and I am going with him to meet up with some friends who may be of some assistance." All four males protested this at once. "I must. I cannot be there for your journey to Helms Deep and I need to speak with someone before the battle."

"Then it is settled." Gandalf said, cutting off any further protests from the still unconvinced man, elf, and dwarf. "Will you be ready to leave in one hour?" Nina nodded. "Then I will meet you in the stables. And we should all pack as the rest of you will be moving out in come morning." With that they went their separate ways and after a moment of hesitation Legolas went to his own room to gather his belongings. He would find Nina before she left but he needed a moment to himself first.

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Nina stared down at the paper, ink, and pen set before her. Aragorn was going to fall off a cliff and, even if he came back eventually, Nina had her doubts that Legolas would forgive her for leaving him in the dark on this one. She wanted to give him a note or something, she could tell him to open it after the fall or something equally vague. Aragorn needed to fall to be in a position to give Théoden an accurate number of enemies but that didn't mean their friends needed to suffer unnecessary grief. Finally, it came to her. 'Aragorn marries Arwen Evenstar. Members of the Fellowship always find their way back.' was printed boldly on a small scroll of paper and, on a whim, she added '_see you soon_' underneath it in Elvish. She hoped he shared this with Gimli when the time came, the dwarf would be frustrated to no end by the two languages. On several occasions he'd actually encouraged Nina to stop trying to learn the language so that more of their conversations could be in the common tongue.

The message written, Nina gathered her pack and strapped on her weapons before heading in the direction of Legolas's room, message in hand. Her hand had barely knocked on the surface of Legolas' door before he opened it and smiled, stepping back to let her in. Her desire for privacy over propriety won out and she shut the door behind herself. "I have something for you but you have to promise not to open it until the time is right." When he nodded she handed him the paper. "I'm giving this to you, knowing that if you break your promise it will change everything for the worse. You should open this at the cliff when hope seems lost." She knew it was vague but there was no better way to describe the right time without possibly influencing the event.

"I swear I will not open it until the time is right." Legolas tucked the roll of paper into his neatly filled pack next to what looked like leftover lembas which reminded her of something else she should probably share with him.

"Also, while you're traveling it might be wise to avoid any food Eowen has hand in cooking. She's never set foot in a kitchen before and that is probably for the best." She tried to smile teasingly and could actually feel herself failing.

"You've been out of sorts all day Nina. What troubles you?" Legolas asked, taking her hand and leading her to sit on the bed as they had the night before. Nina had thought she was hiding her trepidation well but apparently not if the Prince had tuned into her discomfort.

"I suppose it is one thing to plan to interfere in a war between good and evil and quite another to actually do it. Would you think less of me if I told you I am absolutely petrified?" The elleth was staring at her hands cursing herself for saying such a thing to an ellon who'd been in more battles than days shed been alive.

"If you were not frightened I'd be concerned. You've dedicated your entire new life to the coming war, which is quite a lot to be riding on the shoulders of any one person." Legolas pulled her into his arms and Nina enjoyed the closeness that hadn't felt so natural since Lothlorien. "If where you are going safe? I know you cannot tell me what you will be doing but I will spend the entire journey concerned for you if I do not know something." Nina smiled softly at his concern and felt her heart give a small squeeze of the emotions she was more and more certain were too deep to keep running from.

"I'll be seeing you again before the real danger starts." Again, that was vague enough but managed to reassure him if the relaxing of his tense shoulders was anything to go by. "I need to get Tala saddled. Are you coming to see us off?"

"Of course. Tala is going to miss me. I have to say goodbye to her." His joking grin served to lighten the mood a bit and Nina squeezed him tightly for a second more before extracting herself from his embrace and gathering up her things she'd left by the door. They walked to the stables in uninterrupted comfortable silence.

Almost fifteen minutes before Gandalf was set to appear Nina finished the tack on her horse and had strapped her pack and weapons to their appropriate places, leaving her bow and quiver on the ground for her to sling over her back when they were ready to ride out. Nina rechecked all of her straps for the last time while Legolas had what appeared to be a very engrossing one sided conversation with Tala in hushed Elvish. The she came around and made to exit the stall Legolas looked up with an almost excited or agitated gleam in his eyes. "Are you done?"

"We simply have to wait for Gandalf now and…" she trailed off as Legolas grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her out of the stable and around the building to the back. He stopped there and spun around to face her. When he approached her and invaded what little personal space she had left she took an involuntary step backwards towards the stable wall. "Legolas what on earth-"

She did not get the chance to finish her sentence as Legolas had closed the remaining distance between them and kissed her. Whereas their first kiss had been short, embarrassing, and completely spur of the moment, this kiss was none of those. Legolas eliminated any and all space between them as one arm wrapped around her waist and the other cupped the back of her neck. Whereas Legolas had frozen up when she kissed him in Lothlorien, Nina's reaction was a startled gasp which turned into more of a muted moan as Legolas took advantage of her parted lips to deepen the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. The elleth, once she'd figured out what was happening, threw herself into the kiss with enthusiasm.

By the time they parted for more than a few breathless moments to gulp in air Nina had somehow ended up pinned to the stable wall with her fingers tangled in the ellon's hair (that incidentally was as soft as she'd imagined it would be) and was more than pleased by the situation. "So..." she trailed off, not sure how to ask what she was trying to clarify.

"I am going to miss you and the next time we see each other we need to figure this out even if the middle of a war is not the ideal setting." He lowered his lips to hers again and placed a series of sweet chaste kisses on her slightly swollen lips.

Nina was just about to deepen the kiss when she heard the telltale gruff tones of Gimli on the other side of the wall. "The lass' horse is done up. Where did she and the elf get to?" Both elves froze before carefully separating as reality intruded on their stolen moment.

"I guess that means it is time." Nina whispered and took his hand in hers as they began walking around the stable. She paused just before they turned the corner, sill out of sight from anyone on the main road. Rising onto her toes she kissed him one more time before pulling away to put his disheveled hair in some sort of order (she was lucky she'd thought to braid hers back). "I'll be seeing you soon." With that last remark thrown over her shoulder with a smile that was way more confident than she actually felt, Nina turned the corner. 'Just two days' she thought to herself; equal measures panicked at the thought of battle and elated at the thought of a reunion with the ellon she loved.

AN: So, Eowen bashing was unintentional but just sort of happened. I figured the two of them would be jealous of each other in equal parts since Nina is treated as an equal by the men in her company which Eowen wants and Eowen doesn't suck at being a girl in Middle Earth which Nina has been having problems with…Anyways you all got some Nina-Legolas love at the end there. Chapter 12 will have Haldir being an overprotective brother, some more fluff, and oh right the battle.

Let me know what you thought! Reviews are excellent motivation to keep updates quick :)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: Thank you guys for all of the support. Keep the comments and reviews coming!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 12: Big Brother

Legolas stood on the edge of the cliff staring down. It was simply not possible. Aragorn could not be dead. The man who had been his friend for most of his mortal life, the heir to the throne of Gondor, the de facto leader of their piece of the fellowship had undoubtedly been thrown off this very ledge and no man could survive such a fall. Théoden didn't even want to send anyone to retrieve his body. How could he have let this happen; how could Nina have let this happen? With that thought everything seemed to click into place. He dropped his pack and began digging through its contents. This had to be the 'right moment' Nina was talking about when she'd handed him the note before she left. Feeling the rough paper Legolas extracted it from his now jumbled belongings and broke the wax seal she'd placed on it.

'Aragorn marries Arwen Evenstar. Members of the Fellowship always find their way back.

_See you soon._'

The ellon stared at the three short sentences. She'd known this was going to happen obviously and for some reason she couldn't change it but he was positive Aragorn had yet to marry which meant either Nina was wrong on… "_He is still alive!"_

"What are you going on about in your cursed Elvish?" Gimli demanded, looking at the ellon in confusion. For all Gimli knew their friend had just died and the elf was now smiling.

"Nina gave me this before we left. She said to open it at the cliff." He handed over the parchment to the confused dwarf and was rewarded by a large smile and Gimli's gruff laughter a moment later.

"Looks like the Lass was looking out for you laddie. What's the bit at the end say?" Gimli's spirits were lifted even if Legolas could see a small cloud of doubt hanging in his eyes.

"It says see you soon. Before she left she said she would be meeting up with us again soon." Legolas fought down a grin, forcing himself not to remember exactly what they'd been doing before she'd said that. Reliving the entirely improper but incredibly satisfying kisses they'd shared would get him noting but mocked by the dwarf. Gimli already used his and Nina's obvious closeness as a weapon; he didn't need to know that the ellon was quite a bit more attached to her than mere close friends.

"Should we spread the word or do we wait to see this for ourselves?" Gimli questioned the preoccupied elf.

There was no way to give any credible proof that what Nina said was true and Legolas was well aware that the King and his people would need to trust in the remnants of the fellowship as fully as possible or no one would get out of this alive. "Perhaps we should wait. I cannot fathom a way to explain that the elleth in our company is a seer who left behind words of comfort for when Aragorn appeared to be dead. Besides, the company needs to be focused on the enemy especially after all their losses." Gimli nodded in assent and the two unlikely companions turned form the cliff to follow the king and his men to Helms Deep.

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Haldir called to his men to halt. If they rested now as the sun was setting they could continue their trek through the night and arrive before the Uruk-hai were in sight of the fortress. Lady Galadriel had told them that the Mirkwood prince, Aragorn, and the dwarf were all within the wall of Helms Deep but she had not mentioned the whereabouts of the wizard or his sister despite his questioning. Perhaps it was better that Mithrandir and Nina were elsewhere. From the reports the last round of scouts had given him the enemy's army was far beyond Rohan's ability to defeat or outlast. All of his soldiers were well aware that there was a good chance they would not come back from this battle but were determined to honor the alliance that had once existed between the free peoples of Middle Earth. Still, he couldn't help but be glad his brothers were not among the contingent he led.

One of his scouts, a young ellon whose name Haldir couldn't remember was sprinting towards him. "_A single rider is headed in our direction. They appear to be looking for something."_ Haldir nodded to him and signaled his second in command to take charge as he followed the scout back to his post to observe the rider for himself.

The rider wore an oddly familiar grey-green cloak pulled low over their head and was seated on a dappled grey horse with what looked like a bow slung over their back. Haldir watched the figure as it slowly approached the small valley among the hills they were camped in and gasped out loud when the vague outlines finally became the fine details that clearly marked the rider and the horse as familiar. "_What is she doing here?_" Haldir growled out in frustration and he was focused on his errant sister that he didn't see the scout shrink back from his unusual display of anger. "_Stay here. I will speak with her."_ At that he broke through the cover of the treeline and strode towards Nina. The girl caught the flash of movement and changed direction to meet him.

"_Hello brother. Did you miss me?"_ She questioned him with a timid smile, clearly expecting his displeasure at her presence. She dismounted from Tala and dropped the reigns knowing the mare wouldn't wander far.

"_Are you mad? What are you doing here? You should be as far away from Rohan as you can be!"_ Haldir had never been so angry with the elleth or anyone for that matter.

"_I need to be here."_ She stated calmly refusing to back down under his glare. "I have something to change in Helms Deep. I cannot leave and you do not need to worry about me, I promise." She'd reflexively switched back to the common tongue as her desire to convince him of her sincerity overrode everything else.

Haldir considered her coldly for a moment. "What do you need to do? I can do it for you and you can go back to Lorien and not risk your life over the folly of Rohan's king."

His sister sighed and shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "You cannot be the one to do it. I have to be there, my presence and my actions were the only way I could find in the mirror to fix what was supposed to happen." He turned away from her then trying to get his emotions back under control. He was no stranger to Nina's foreknowledge. He'd seen her standing at the mirror for hours every day and watched helplessly as she broke down crying when she couldn't alter something she wished to change. He, of all people, knew how heavily Boromir's death had weighed on her mind. She'd been reclusive for days after the Fellowship had departed the Caras Galadhon and it had taken ages to drag the cause of her disquiet out of her but once she'd begun explaining the situation she had lost all control of her emotions and Haldir had awkwardly tried to comfort the weeping elleth. He did not want to be the cause of such a thing again.

"Can you promise me you survive this? Your life is worth more to me than those you're trying to help." A strange look of utter sadness flickered across her composed face but when she nodded in confirmation he saw none of the liars signs she usually displayed so easily when trying to fool him. "Come, let us get some rest. We will resume our journey as soon as night falls." Haldir relented and took her hand to lead her towards the waiting company. Why were all of his siblings so troublesome?

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Aragorn had not expected such a reception when he finally made his way into Helms Deep. His only thought was to get news of the army marching upon them to the King as soon as possible. He didn't take any note of the gasp and remarks upon his still being alive. He did, however, notice when Gimli came barreling through the crowd shouting "Where is he? Where is he? Get out of the way! I'm going to kill him!" Gimli finally caught sight of Aragorn and grinned at him giving him a gruff hug. "You are the luckiest, the canniest, and the most reckless man I ever knew!" He finally released the man and shook his head in relief. "Bless you laddie! The lass left a note for the elf that all but said you'd survived your little flying lesson but it is damn good to see you!"

Aragorn raised an eyebrow at Gimli's comment on Nina's foreknowledge but set the curiosity aside for more pressing business. "Gimli, where is the king?" The dwarf nodded off to the right and Aragorn clasped his shoulder in thanks before striding off in search of Théoden. His progress was again impeded by a relieved looking ellon.

"_You're late"_ Legolas informed him stoically before cracking a smile and adding "You look terrible". The Ranger couldn't help but laugh at the magnitude of such an understatement.

The ellon handed him something small and hard and when Aragorn looked down to see the Evenstar he clasped the elf's forearm with his own and thanked him. Legolas fell in behind him with Gimli as they continued to search for the King who they found in the assembly hall.

Théoden's response left much to be desired. He appeared intimidated by the number of enemies approaching them but refused to do any more than sequester the women and children in the caves. He was effectively ensuring the enemy had them backed into a corner.

Théoden gave orders for every able bodied male to be armed and ready before nightfall, and was making sweeping proclamations about how no army had ever breached the fortress. Gimli was apparently of the same skeptical option as Aragorn as he spoke up "This is no rabble of mindless Orcs. These are uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad."

The King clearly held no stock in the dwarf's opinion "I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep." Aragorn thought he heard Gimli mutter something along the lines of 'I doubt it' under his breath and saw Legolas trying to smother a smile.

Leaving the hall to try and talk Théoden into at least having some plans for is the walls were breached he was only treated to more of the man's glaring overconfidence. "They will break upon this fortress like water on rock. Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be resown, homes rebuilt. Within these walls we will outlast them."

The Ranger was beginning to become concerned that Théoden was truly beyond all reason. "They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people, down to the last child." Did the man really not understand that this was not traditional warfare? This was an attempt to exterminate the race of men from the lands of Rohan.

Théoden turned back to the ranger and grabbed him, "what would you have me do? Look at my men! Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an as to be worth of remembrance."

There would be no one to remember even a glorious defeat. Aragorn could not make the king see that which he was willfully blind to. "Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid!" Any additional forces at this point would be a great help.

Théoden was clearly skeptical "and who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead." Aragorn had to bite his tongue to tell the king that he was wrong. Rohan had never been known to favor outsiders. Théoden was likely too proud to ask anyone for aid let alone beings from other races.

"Gondor will answer." Aragorn offered.

"Gondor?! Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?! Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us?! No, my Lord Aragorn, we are alone." The defeat in Théoden's voice was a clear and final indicator that the man was already beaten. The King left him on the wall as he gave orders to bar the gate and move the refugees who could not fight to the caves. Aragorn had a difficult time clinging to hope as he looked out beyond the wall.

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Legolas was beginning to think his new task was keeping Aragorn from either driving himself insane or killing himself doing the work of five men at once. He'd been planning the placement of men with Théoden for hours and if either of them was honest they would have accepted there was no more to be done hours ago. "Aragorn you must rest. You're no use to us half alive." His chastisement was cut short however by the arrival of Eowyn.

"I'm to be sent with the women into the caves!" Her tone was indignant and Legolas couldn't help but find her presence displeasing.

Aragorn was clearly more patient with the woman who thought herself a shield maiden. "That is an honorable charge." He nodded his agreement with the order and Legolas watched as her face morphed into a sullen expression that would have been more appropriate on a child denied a treat.

Her voice was small as she continued complaining "To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return. What renown is there in that?" Renown? The woman thought that battle was all about glory? Did she not understand they were all about to die?

Aragorn's voice had taken on a tone of consolation "My lady, a time may come for valor without renown. Who then will your people look to in the last defense?" Legolas was tempted to leave as the woman was clearly only going to continue making a fool of herself.

"Let me stand at your side." Legolas's eyes stared at the woman in disbelief. Was this really the time for her to be making a play at the Ranger's heart? Legolas momentarily wished Nina had had a chance to set the woman to rights about Aragorn's relationship with the Evenstar.

Aragorn was beginning to look markedly uncomfortable as he'd clearly divined where this was going "It is not in my power to command it."

"You do not command the others to stay! They fight beside you because they would not be parted form you. Because they love you." Eowyn flushed red as she realized what she'd inadvertently said and blurted out and "I'm sorry!" before running off towards the caves.

"_If we survive this you will have to make her understand that she is nothing to you._" Legolas told him before steering the baffled Ranger towards the armory.

Legolas and Aragorn surveyed the assembled males being equipped with swords and mismatched armor that had seen much better days. "Farmers, farriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers." Aragorn sighed and turned to Legolas and Gimli.

"Most have seen too many winters" the dwarf nodded towards a clearly arthritic man who was trying to find a sword he could actually lift.

Legolas waved his hand at a group of boys no more than ten who were waiting in a frightened line for helms "Or too few. Look at them. They're frightened. You can see it in their eyes" His words carried a bit farther than he'd intended and the ellon winced as several pairs of eyes turned to the trio. "_And they should be three hundred against ten thousand!"_ He switched to Elvish in hopes of keeping the conversation slightly more private.

"_They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras_" Legolas couldn't argue that point but there was no way that he could see their small unwieldy contingent surviving the fight.

"_Aragorn, they cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!"_ The ellon had no qualm about going to his death fighting but he was looking for at least one other person to acknowledge that is what they were doing.

Aragorn clearly forgot himself as he answered the ellon in the common tongue. "Then I shall die as one of them!" All eyes were on them now and Legolas could see the waves of uneasiness spreading as Aragorn stalked out of the room.

Legolas made to go after him but Gimli stayed him. "Let him go lad. Let him go." The Ranger returned after a few minutes and began putting on his Armor. Gimli nudged the elf towards him and made a shooing motion. Legolas lifter the sword Aragorn was about to grab and handed it to him.

"We have trusted you this far. You have not led us astray. Forgive me, I was wrong to despair." Legolas didn't actually believe they had any hope but he did not want his last memories of the Ranger to be tinged with anger and regret.

Aragorn clasped his shoulders and smiled "T_here is nothing to forgive, Legolas._" Gimli chose that moment to waddle over to them with a chainmail shirt practically dragging on the ground.

"It's a little tight across the chest." Gimli flapped his arms around and tried to see if he could actually move in the chainmail. In the distance they heard a horn being blown. Legolas froze.

"That is no Orc horn!" He exclaimed in shock in hope before running out of the room towards the gate followed by the man and dwarf.

As they arrived Théoden was staring at the assembled elves in shock. "How is this possible?"

Haldir stepped forward from the ranks and addressed the King, "I bring word form Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance." Théoden simply looked on speechless.

Aragorn took that moment to step up to the ellon. "_Well met, Haldir!"_ His excitement clearly got the best of him and Legolas repressed a laugh as the Ranger hugged the stoic Marchwarden. "You are most welcome." The smile on Aragorn's face was full of hope and Legolas could almost see him recalculating the odds with a slightly happier result.

Legolas approached his longtime friend once Aragorn had released him and clasped arms with him. "_It is very good to see you again, old friend._"

"_If we survive this I would love to know why my sister has been avoiding every question about you since she met up with us."_ While the Marchwardens face remained placid his tone was teasing and Legolas knew his keen eyes picked up on the slight flush that covered his face. "_She'd bringing up the rear with the scouts. I expect she'll be wanting to speak with you."_ Legolas nodded and strode down the lines of Lorien elves towards the gates.

He spotted her immediately. She was talking to a stable hand at the gate who took Tala away once she'd unloaded her belongings. As if she could sense him staring at her she turned to meet his eyes with a grin. He walked forward and took her and, tugging her along behind him without a word. He would them through pathways he'd learned I the last half day of preparation and brought her inside the empty storage room that was serving as the fellowships 'room'. He quickly took her boy and quiver, sword, dagger, and pack from her to rest them against the wall. That done, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Legolas could feel her lips curve into a smile against his before he deepened the kiss hungrily. And he slowly walked her back to press her against the closed door. He did his best to keep his hands from wandering indecently but they thoroughly mapped her sides, back and settled at her hips when he pulled away for air, smiling at the panting elleth pinned between him and the door who was grinning back at him.

"_I missed you and I am happy to see you but what on earth are you doing here?"_ His breathing was starting to come back under his control so he moved to trace her neck and cheek with his lips as he asked his question. He was going to make use of what little time they had before the Uruk-hai were at the gates.

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"There's something I have to do here. I've already managed to convince Haldir and I'll be happy to fight with you about it later." She said before cupping his cheek and bringing his mouth back to hers. The battle for dominance between their tongues was short lived as Legolas deftly took over the kiss but Nina couldn't bring herself to mind as she was too busy enjoying the feeling of him pressed against her. Some remote part of her dazedly thought that it was a good thing she already had a terrible reputation because she wasn't sure she was going to be able to resist kissing him in public if his kisses kept being so addictive.

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Legolas ground out as they separated for a matter of seconds before he reattached them.

"Nope." She gasped as he caught her bottom lip between his teeth, nipping it lightly. They both paused as they heard distant shouts in common and Elvish to take posts. "We really need to stop being interrupted." She mumbled as she rested her forehead against his collarbone, resigned to the fact that their alone time was coming to a close.

"Let's get you ready." Legolas let out an annoyed sigh and kissed the top of her head lightly before stepping back to let her move. Nina pulled the pile of armor that Haldir had given her from her pack and looked at it curiously. She could identify the light chainmail shirt and breastplate easily enough but the other pieces confused her. Legolas noticed her obvious confusion picked up the chainmail, handing it to her to pull on over her tunic. That done he pulled the breastplate over her head and set about fastening either side to the back portion. Nina was fairly certain tying knots had never involved so much intimate contact. He helped her into the upper and lower arm guards and maintained custody of her helm to steal one more lingering kiss form her before he rested it on her head. They did not say goodbye or make plans to talk after the battle.

As Legolas was already prepared for the battle Nina simply collected her weapons and let her ellon lead her to the wall where Aragorn, Gimli, and the elves were waiting. She was greeted with a round of surprised and disapproving shouts from the man and dwarf. Haldir simply shook his head and pulled her to stand next to him. "If you need to be here, you'll have to stay near me so I can at least keep an eye on you." Her brother said and Nina decided not to argue given he'd inadvertently placed her exactly where she needed to be.

Nina had never killed anything other than an animal before in her life. She was able to pretend it was simply target practice when she was sending volleys of arrows with the other elves but when the ladders came and the Uruk-hai began climbing onto the walls Nina could no longer pretend this want real. Luckily that's when the fight or flight instinct kicked in. She may have been barely passable with her sword by her brother's standards but she found that blind panic and desperation had upped her skill to match her opponents. She kept one eye on Haldir at all times and panicked momentarily wen the cloud of dust and debris form the water grate exploding clouded her vision before she caught the telltale blond of her brothers hair under his helm. She dodged around several disoriented Uruk-hai and repositioned herself at her brother's side. Time had lost its meaning but soon the calls to fall back to the keep were sounding all around them and Haldir joined in shouting out orders in Elvish Nina was too out of it to understand but she kept close to Haldir regardless.

In their dash toward the stairs Nina could FEEL the course of the event she was set on changing approaching and kept their backs clear ad Haldir forged a path ahead of them. She was slowed down by a pair of Uruk-hai who'd targeted her and by the time she'd disabled them both she saw another Uruk-hai raising his sword to deliver a killing blow to her brother. Nina did not think. She moved faster than she ever had in her life and thrust her blade through the monsters back with strength shed never felt before. Haldir turned in shock to see the fate she'd just saved him from and a light of understanding came into his eyes. This moment was why she was there. The approach of more enemies broke the moment and the elves resumed running for their lives.

When they made it to the door to the keep they turned to join the handful of archers who were picking off enemies at the backs of fleeing soldiers. When they could no longer see allies among the approaching hoard the archers filed into the keep and the gate was barred behind them. Now all they needed to do was wait for Gandalf.

Nina turned towards Haldir when he rested a weary hand on her shoulder. "It was me. You come for me." She couldn't tell if he was shocked, angry, or grateful. She hazarded a guess it was a little bit of all three.

"Of course it was you. You're my brother, I wasn't about to let anything happen to you." She chanced a small smile and tried to stop shaking from the excess adrenaline in her system.

Haldir pulled her into a tight hug, "thank you." He stated then pulling away he looked her square in the eye and adopted a smirk that always signified she was about to be teased "Your prince is staring at you by the way". Nina chanced a glance over she shoulder and shot the Mirkwood ellon a grin before returning her attention to her brother.

"He can wait a minute. My brother just failed to die like he was supposed to." She teased back knowing there was no way she was getting out of being needled mercilessly.

"Do I need to have a discussion with him about his intentions or will that conversation just be for fun to make the princeling uncomfortable?" Haldir asked and Nina blushed wondering silently if there was a way to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. She still had no idea what his intentions were. Perhaps after they returned to Edoras she could actually have that conversation with Legolas they'd talked about before she left.

"Please try not to torture him too much. I'd really rather he remains in one piece." Haldir laughed at that and it finally occurred to him how unusual their flat out jubilance looked in the grim setting.

"_Should I assume we somehow manage to survive this? There would be no sense in saving me if everyone gets slaughtered by Uruk-hai by the end of the night."_ Haldir asked in Elvish now that he'd seen how many people were listening to them.

"_Mithrandir has a habit of coming back just when he's needed."_ She confirmed then added, "_I think it would be good for the King to make a brave decision on his own though so we are not going to tell him."_ Haldir nodded in agreement and together the siblings went to join the ad hoc King's council taking place in the back of the room.

Aragorn was trying to convince the King to go out fighting and stiffen the man's flagging resolve. "Ride out with me. Ride out and Meet them."

The man's head picked up at the suggestion "For death and glory?"

Aragorn's disapproval was clear to Nina but he managed to push it down "For Rohan. For your people."

Gimli noted the rising sun and Aragorn got a contemplative look in his eyes before zeroing his gaze in on Nina. She nodded slightly and tilted her head back towards the King who had begun shouting about glory and legacy in what would have been an inspiring speech to any who hadn't witnessed how broken he'd been minute before.

Haldir and Nina mounted Tala together and drew their swords waiting for Théoden's command. The door splintered open and Théoden led the charge. Tala followed the stream of horses and running men without any guidance and the elves on her back cut away any enemy in reach with their blades as they made their way towards the broken outer gate. Just as the pair broke through the masses and onto the open field Gandalf and the Rohirim crested the hill to the east. Nina picked out Eomer as the figure next to the brilliant white of Gandalf. Before she knew it the battle was over. The Uruk-hai were dead, Haldir was alive, and the non-hobbit members of the Fellowship were reunited.

AN: That was a long one! I initially wanted to get them all the way back to Edoras in this but it just got to be too much. Anyway look for more Haldir, Legolas-Nina fluff, Eomer, and some irrational jealousy in the next chapter which should be up in a day or two.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: Hey there! Sorry about the wait. Here's a long chapter to make up for it. I really appreciate all of the support you guys! Let me know what you think!

Reminder- _ITALICS_ are Elvish

Happy Reading!

Chapter 13: Stupid Ellons

Nina hadn't had time to more than look at Legolas all night. It had taken hours for the wounded to be taken off the battlefield and Nina was among the elves form Lothlorien who had medicinal knowledge so they'd been constantly rushing back and forth in the hall that had been turned into a sick bay. Nina gave all of the healers and assistants a crash course in triage and now each patient was marked with a colored strip of cloth around their right thumb denoting their priority. No one was quite sure who the bold elleth giving orders was but Nina had learned long ago in her paramedic training that in a confusing situation just about anyone would listen to someone who spoke with confidence and gave orders like they fully expected them to be followed.

Haldir had left her once it was clear she had everything well in hand to meet with the fellowship and the King. Nina hardly noticed. She was finally in her element. Here, among the strangers and the smell of blood and bile she was saving lives. She carried the cloth scroll and saw to the most critically injured soldiers first. Some of the procedures she was doing were only theoretical in her training but with her finer eyesight and heightened senses of sound and touch shed managed to save two men with collapsed lungs and tie off a bleeding artery in a way that meant the man might keep his leg. For those will wounds so drastic that even medicine in her home world would likely have failed them she slipped them a large enough dose of poppy oil to put them to sleep and quietly changed their cloth markers to those of the dead and almost dead.

As horrible as the entire scene was Nina couldn't force herself to leave even when most of the humans who had been working had departed from exhaustion along with many of the ellon who'd been working. By the time Nina had personally looked at each of the surviving soldiers it was well past midnight and she looked up to see Legolas waiting for her by the door.

"You're covered in blood" He said blankly and ran an assessing glance over her looking for wounds.

"None of it is mine. We lost seventy eight mean. Five more will probably go before morning but the rest should be fine if their wounds are kept clean." She moved over to a washbasin filled with clean water and began trying to get the red off of her skin. The water was the color of wine in seconds and the blood still clung to her.

"I have a better idea." He said wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Eowyn and some of the ladies are coming to sit with the soldiers overnight. Let's find you a place to wash and sleep."

Nina was tempted but was nervous about leaving her charges. "But, what if something happens! I can't just go."

"We'll leave work with a servant when we find you a room. If anything happens that the ladies cannot handle they will come get you. Come." He negated any further argument by taking her hand and half dragging her towards the exit. He had a quick, murmured conversation with an ellon outside the door before pulling her along the hall towards the kitchen. "There are washrooms behind the kitchen with hot water." He explained at her confused look.

They walked hand in hand down the turning stone halls and ignored the curious glances they earned from the elves and humans they passed in the halls. Legolas pulled them to a stop at the storage room they'd inhabited earlier and retrieved her pack for her while she removed her armor and weapons, leaving them in a corner to be cleaned thoroughly by the light of day tomorrow. That done, they descended a winding staircase and stopped at the hastily constructed stalls behind the exterior wall of the kitchen.

"I'll wait out here for you." He said unnecessarily once they found an unoccupied stall.

Nina found a basin recently filled with hot water from the kitchen and sighed happily as she stripped down and used a clean cloth from her pack to wash the blood and grime from her skin and hair. She redressed in clean leggings and a tunic and washed her blood soaked clothes to the best of her ability in the remaining warm water before wringing them out and joining Legolas. "Sleep?" She questioned when he caught sight of her.

"Do you want to join the elves outside the walls or the men in the caves? Apparently they can bleed together but they can't bed down in the same place." He said with a wry smile.

"I honestly couldn't care less. As long as it's soon. We'll be leaving tomorrow to see what Merry and Pippin have made of Isengard." The ellon nodded and led her back to the storage room. She dropped her pack and laid her damp clothing over it. Nina turned back towards the door expecting Legolas to be waiting for her only to see him laying out both their bedrolls further into the room. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Legolas scrambled to explain just hat he was thinking sleeping alone with an elleth "Gimli will be snoring in the caves and your brother will be outside. If you don't want to we can-"

His words were cut off by a kiss. Before it could turn into anything more than a brief pressing of lips Nina pulled back and reassured him. "I don't have a problem with this arrangement. Just be aware that I'm likely to ruin your reputation." She was joking but Legolas' scowl at her words ruined her attempt at levity.

"Anyone who knew you would never judge you in such a way. They also better not do so in my presence. Besides, I like your improper forwardness." He said the last with a smile as he moved in for another kiss which turned into quite a few more heated kisses. When Nina fell asleep in wrapped in Legolas' arms she would have been hard pressed to think of a more perfect moment.

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Legolas wanted to wake up this way every day. Not necessarily the cold stone floor, the smell of blood permeating the air, or the glaring light streaming from the window directly into his eyes but with the elleth he'd held throughout the night in his arms. Nina was still asleep when he stirred into wakefulness and he took the opportunity to watch her. Her black hair, something he'd never seen on an elf before, was glossy and soft, if a bit tangled from their heated kisses the night before, and he marveled at the texture as he ran his fingers through the ends. Her delicate pointed ears that marked her as one of his own kind poked out of the ebony mane and her refrained from tracing the features as he wished to knowing contact with such sensitive skin would surely wake her.

Her dreams appeared peaceful as she smiled contentedly. Her eyes were slightly clouded with sleep but the pure green color, that was also a rarity in elves, shone through. He memorized the relaxed shape of her face that was so often sharpened with quick wit or brightened in a grin. She truly was excessively expressive for an elleth but, like most of her oddities, he enjoyed watching her emotions play so close to the surface. It was approaching the hour they'd served breakfast at in Edoras and Legolas decided to wake her. He suspected it had been some time since she'd eaten anything but Lembas.

"_Little one, it is time to wake."_ He shook her shoulder lightly and tried not to laugh as the elleth closed her eyes and pouted trying to burrow closer into his embrace. "_Elves sleep with their eyes open Nina, I know you are not sleeping." _He chuckled as the elleth wined softly before pulling away just enough to look him in the eye.

"I was having a very good dream, but I suppose this isn't bad either." She grinned up at him and leaned in the kiss him. What she'd intended as a good morning peck quickly turned into more. Legolas responded eagerly to her kiss and the brush of his tongue begged for entrance which she eagerly granted. The ellon rolled them quickly so that he was pinning her to the ground, bracing most of his weight on his forearms. Nina smiled at his moved and made the snap decision to show him a bit more of her 'oddly forward behavior'. She hooked an ankle around the outside of each of his legs and, in a motion that was far more graceful in her time as an elf than it had been when she was human, she rolled them over so she was on top of the ellon, straddling his hips and staring into his startled eyes. "I am assuming you woke me for a reason?" She whispered in his ear, purposefully brushing her lips against the shell of his ear.

Legolas' breath caught in his throat and Nina smiled in pride before the ellon retaliated by retaking the top and clamping his lips around the tip of her right ear. Nina let out a startled moan and couldn't help but be shock by just how sensitive the skin was. "I had a reason but you distracted me." Coming back to himself, Legolas rolled off of her and sat up much to Nina's displeasure. "You said we are leaving today and it is past time for breakfast."

Nina sighed and sat up as well. "I would say we should just stay here and make our own way to Edoras but you need to be there." She tried her best not to sound like a whining child and was not entirely certain she succeeded. Legolas stood and pulled her up by the hand. They walked in comfortable silence down to the kitchen and made their way out onto the open wall with their bowls of porridge and fruit.

They stood there looking out on the ruined pain beyond the keep's walls and spoke of inconsequential things. Nina told him of her friends from school who'd she'd had countless movie marathons with especially Lord of the Rings Movies. Legolas was very interested in the details of the humans who had played the characters he knew. Nina was sure to assure him that while there was a marked similarity in the appearance of his actor and himself he was certainly more attractive. Legolas told her the story of the first time he'd held a bow and how he'd almost killed his instructor with his impatience. Nina asked about his friends in Mirkwood and his father. What were they like? Did he miss them? The entire time they spoke in Elvish, Legolas continually correcting her pronunciation and inflection as she'd asked him to help her make some progress in the foreign tongue. As it had with her archery, his patient but firm tutelage had her progressing more quickly than expected and she felt like she may actually remember some of what she'd learned.

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Eomer had volunteered to help the general search that had begun for the two elves the wizard, ranger, and dwarf seemed to have lost. The dwarf, Gimli, had given him a vague description of the female (dark hair, pointy ears) and told him blithely that the other was the one that tried to shoot him when last they met. Gimli assured him that they would be together. With that the dwarf had gone off in search of the Marchwarden he'd met the night before mutter something about siblings.

After only ten minutes of aimless wandering, Eomer stumbled upon a familiar Elf seated on the outer wall in the company of a beautiful black haired woman. What had Gimli said his name was again? Legolas? Yes that sounded right. That confirmed, Eomer called out to him "Legolas!"

The elf looked up calmly as his name was called but the woman's head turned sharply at the sound. He'd been wrong she was not simply a beautiful woman. This was the female elf he was looking for and she was stunning. He hadn't met many elves in his life but most had been fair haired and blue eyed like Legolas. The elleth had sharp features and bright green eyes that considered him for a moment before she smiled widely. "You must be Eomer! Well met." Her voice was clear but the cant of her speech was odd to him even compared to that of the elves he'd met before. Just who exactly was this girl?

"Yes Milady, I do not believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance." The woman was an elf and he did not have the smallest hope at winning her affections but he still schooled himself to remember his courtly manners.

He saw Legolas raise a skeptical eyebrow but he did not comment and he allowed the lady to introduce herself. "I am Nina and we have not met but I did send you a message via a rather impolite currier," She shot a glance over her shoulder at Legolas before turning back to him with an open smile. "Though I will say threatening to kill Gimli before you've even gotten to know how insufferable he can be wasn't exactly polite either."

Eomer could not hold back a laugh. "So you are the seer then! Well met indeed! You saved hundreds of lives. If there is anything we can do to repay you, please do not hesitate to ask." He took a gamble and grasped her hand to lay a kiss upon the back of it. He made a conscious effort not to notice the tightening of Legolas' features.

"Was there something you needed, Eomer?" Legolas inquired in a slightly frosty tone. HE noticed Nina's face took on a shade of surprise at his tone. Eomer decided it would be best to continue talking to the Lady when her smitten ellon bodyguard wasn't around and turned to answer Legolas's question.

"Your company is searching for you both. You've apparently been missing for hours. I believe they're making plans to ride on Isengard later today." Neither of the elves looked surprised. In fact, they both looked rather excited which he found odd. They'd barely survived the night and now they were looking forward to marching to what could be their doom?

"We'll all be departing after the noon meal. I would suggest you pack, my lord. You'll be asked to come with us." Nina told him, maintaining that unconcerned, all knowing smile. "We'd better go reassure everyone that we didn't get eaten by a rogue warg in the night." Legolas collected the two bowls on the wall and indicated for her to go first as the three of them walked back towards the kitchen. Legolas dropped the bowls with a washing boy before leading the trio back to the main hall of the keep.

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Haldir was trying very hard not to let his amusement show. Eomer had returned to the keep with the two wayward elves only minutes before and already it was obvious that the man was infatuated with his sister. What's more, Legolas had also noticed this and was clearly displeased. The best part of the whole situation was that his innocent little sister was oblivious to it all.

The Marchwarden couldn't pretend he wasn't enjoying Legolas' discomfort just a little bit. The Prince was clearly besotted with his sister and she clearly returned his feelings but Haldir wagered they hadn't yet spoken of plans for the future or anything of the like that would give the wood elf some comfort to his raging jealousy. Perhaps Haldir would simply let him suffer through this and not bother trying to make him suffer later as the patriarch of Nina's pseudo family. Or perhaps not. It was entertaining to watch his longtime friend, fierce warrior, and Thanduil's heir squirming like an elfling over his first crush.

Théoden had decreed the company would move out in a matter of hours to confront Saruman at Isengard and given the entire host of uruk-hai that protected the tower was destroyed in the nights battle, it was decided that the elves would return to Lothlorien. Haldir had already spoken to his second in command and their company would be ready to move when the humans left Helms Deep. Before that, however, the Marchwarden wanted to find a moment to speak with each of the elves who would be remaining behind. To that end Haldir stepped over to his sister and tapped her elbow lightly as the King continued his list of preparations.

"_Come with me for a moment"_. The elleth gave him a puzzled look but when he turned and silently made his way for the exit she followed without question. Once they'd exited the hall Haldir turned to face her. "You are in love with the Mirkwood prince." He stated boldly, enjoying the stunned look that took over the elleth's face before she began to blush.

The elleth looked as if she couldn't decide how to respond. Haldir was making bets with himself on whether or not she would deny the obvious. Finally, once she'd settled herself again she responded. "I fail to see how my emotions are your business." To a human her face may have looked calm and collected but to him, an ellon thousands of years older than her and raised with stoicism, her nervous embarrassment was plain.

Haldir chose to ignore her words and press forward with his line of questioning. "Have you spoken to him of your feelings? Should I alert Orophin and Rumil that we will be acquiring a brother in law?" The ellon had forgotten how much fun it was to tease his surrogate sister. If only his younger brothers could be there, it would have been just like many days in Lothlorien before the Fellowship had arrived and monopolized the elleth's time and attention. Nina scoffed at him in irritation and turned away to look out over the wall.

"Do not tease me with this, please." Haldir's mirth was immediately dampened. She sounded so unlike herself in that moment. Her fiery disposition and bold nature was replaced with something tentative and meek. "I- We haven't had time to speak of such things. I am not certain if such a thing is even possible."

Haldir moved to stand at her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. She immediately curled into the embrace and the ellon rested his chin atop her head. "_What has happened to shake you so, sister?_ _The elleth I knew in Lothlorien did not doubt herself as you do now."_

Nina raised her head to meet his gaze. "_The elleth you knew in Lothlorien was playing at changing the world and had the company of friends and family to constantly support her. _I am suddenly faced with all of the reasons I do not fit with this place and the reality that I most likely never will." Somehow it sounded to the ellon like Nina was not simply speaking of the disconnect between Elvish and human communities. She'd always been odd, even in Lothlorien, but among those who were led by the enigmatic Lady Galadriel such eccentricities were more admirable than condemnable. Haldir had not spent time in the realms of men in years beyond counting but he would wager Nina's character was beyond bizarre to these people of Rohan. Humans had always condemned and demeaned that which they did not understand and perhaps his sister was wearying under such close scrutiny?

"Do you not have the support of your friends among the Fellowship?" If the dwarf, Ranger, or Prince was in any way contributing to his sisters unease he would personally see to it that they regretted their actions.

"I fear I am as strange to them as I am to these people. I think it was only recently Gimli and Aragorn finally trusted my foresight and still I am an elleth amongst men. Apparently I am quite terrible at being female in the eyes of those around me. I dress in the clothes of men, carry weapons, am traveling alone with a company of males, and I initiate physical contact far more than is proper even amongst elves." Haldir tried not to let his amusement at her rant show. He knew her concerns were valid but he wondered if she knew that talking about such things when they began to bother her would have alleviated much of her suffering.

"And your prince? Does he not support you?" It hadn't escaped Haldir's notice that she'd shied away from mentioning Legolas in her words.

"He- he tries. There is simply so much that I cannot put into words and we are in the middle of a war, Haldir. This is really not the time for such things, especially as I will be leaving them soon. Besides, what could one such as him want with me? He is a Prince, heir to Mirkwood, a skilled and revered warrior. I am a strange elleth; far from a home I can never return to, who is only surviving on the charity of the Lady of Light due to foresight that is useless without the guidance of the mirror." The Marchwarden was now fighting a surge of anger far stronger than any he had felt in recent memory. Did her companions truly not see how downtrodden the elleth in their company was? Did they simply not care or did she hide it more carefully in their company than she did in his own?

"You are a beautiful, intelligent, and deadly warrior." Haldir began, determined to set her to rights about her worthiness in his eyes if not the Mirkwood Prince's. "You have a rare gift and are using it to relieve some of the pain felt by those affected by the war. You are risking your safety and apparently your happiness to aid complete strangers. You are the sister of the Marchwarden and captains of the Galadhirm. The Lady and Lord of Lothlorien treat you as family and I have seen you work miracles as a healer." Haldir framed her face with both hands when she tried to turn away in embarrassment and disbelief. He would not allow her to deny his words for they were true. "_Anyone who says you are anything but magnificent is not speaking the truth._" He assured her softly, placing an affectionate kiss on her brow.

Nina gave him a watery eyed smile before sliding her arms around him in a tight hug which he returned without hesitation. It was true that she was a far more physically affectionate creature than he'd ever met before but one simply had to observe her for a moment to know such touches were innocent and meant to bring comfort to both her and the receiver of her attentions. Still, with how forward she was in such a friendly manner, Haldir could not believe she had not made Legolas aware of her feelings. Could such an expressive elleth have kept such a secret?

"_I have missed you_" She mumbled into his chest and squeezed him tightly for a moment before releasing him, all signs of tears gone from his eyes.

"_As I have missed you, little sister. Your Elvish is coming along quite well. I do not think I was able to mention it earlier. Has the Thranduilion been aiding you? Surely he must be doing something with his time if he has not been courting you." _ Haldir teased her lightly, hoping to brighten her mood while still gaining insight into her life since she'd left Caras Galadhon. The siblings spoke at length for more than an hour, standing on an unruined section of the Keep wall and neither noticed they were observed by the main topic of their conversation whose eyes remained fixed on the elleth and her brother with a slightly envious expression.

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Legolas watched Nina and Haldir for quite some time as they stood upon the keep wall, laughing and speaking in a mix of common and Elvish whose words he could not understand from atop the keep. He was not trying to eavesdrop, he simply wished to check on the elleth he'd taken to spending so much of his time with and had been mesmerized by the sight and sound of her wholehearted laughter. Without his permission the ellons body had rooted him to his vantage point and he'd simply continued watching the elves below. Nina was laughing and appeared to be in higher spirits than he'd seen her since Lothlorien.

As of late the elleth had been consumed with doubts and worries over her role in the coming events as well as her inability to fit the mold of what a woman should be in this place. He had tried to comfort her and he truly believed that when he'd kissed her for the first time she'd been overjoyed. But, it had been some time since she looked so care free and light hearted. Legolas felt a moment of irrational jealousy of the Marchwarden. Clearly Nina trusted and loved the ellon a great deal. The ellon and his brothers had taken her in as their sister and Legolas could not begrudge Nina the family she was building for herself in Lothlorien but he wished there had been time to find out if her love extended to him as well.

Legolas finally turned from the sight of the elves and went in search of Aragorn to find something to occupy his troubled mind. When next they both had a free moment Legolas was going to make certain he and Nina spoke at length about their relationship. Until then he was going to lose himself in preparations for the march on Isengard.

In the beginning helping with preparations was exactly what he did. However, less than an hour after he'd begun helping move the wounded to carts that would be carrying them back to Edoras while the Rohirim went to Isengard Haldir and Nina entered the makeshift house of healing. Nina smiled at him from across the room before checking on the wounded she'd spent so much time helping the night before. In contrast, Haldir's path led him in a straight path towards him and a swift motion of his hand had Legolas following him out the exit and onto a section of the wall well off the path of common use.

"_I will speak plainly. You are in love with my sister."_ There was no question in Haldir's words but the cool look in his eye and demanding tone made it clear he was to explain himself. A small part of Legolas that was very much the Prince of Mirkwood balked at the implied order coming from the Marchwarden who held no position of authority over him and was only several centuries older. The remainder of his self remembered that this was the ellon whom Nina counted as family and, as such, his approval of Legolas' intentions would likely be important in the days to come.

"_I am._" He replied simply. He would not deny what he felt was plain to see. However, Haldir was going to have to ask what he wanted to know, for he was unsure what Nina had disclosed to the Marchwarden.

"_And what are your intentions towards her? As you know she is extraordinarily young and has been deeply troubled as of late. Clearly you've been unable or unwilling to aid her or she has not seen fit to confide in you. I and my brothers will not have her tie herself to someone who will not honor her._" Legolas' eyes widened fractionally. He'd expected interrogation as it was an elder brothers right to protect his sister but challenges towards his character were unexpected.

_"I assure you that my every intention is to bind myself to her and spend the rest of my life at her side. However, I believe it would be best if I had the opportunity to speak with her before laying my hopes at the feet of her brother. There has not been time since leaving Edoras to have such a conversation."_

Haldir seemed to consider his words for a moment before pressing on, "_Do you think it wise, falling in love in a time of war. One or both of you may fall in the battles to come. And Nina has her own tasks to complete; will you hold her back when she next leaves you?" _

Now it was Legolas' time to pause for a moment to recover his thoughts. He hadn't considered that she wouldn't be staying with the company. It was so easy to forget she was not a member of the Fellowship. Still, Legolas did not simply want the elleth 'for now' he wanted her for eternity. He of all people understood duty and he would honor her mission no matter how much he wished her to remain at his side. Should they both survive there would be all the time in the world to be together. "_I do not believe it is wise or unwise. An elf loves only once and we have no control over who or when or how. Certainly this would have been simpler in peacetime but if this were a time of peace I may never have met Nina and would still be waiting to find my match."_ Legolas sighed, thinking about Haldir's second question. "_I will not stop her when she needs to depart. I am not her master and I would not be cruel enough to stop her simply because I wish for her to remain, though I wish for her to go knowing of my love."_

_ "In that case you may wish to speak with her sooner than later. When we spoke she said she would be returning to Caras Galadhon following an act of foolishness on Pippin's part in Edoras. I go the impression she would be seeing golden wood within a fortnight."_ With that the Marchwarden gave him a slight bow and walked off without a word leaving a staggered Legolas behind.

So soon? She would be leaving practically the day they returned to Edoras is Haldir was correct. At that thought Legolas sprang into action. He began to comb Helms Deep for any sign of the elleth he so desperately needed to speak with and became increasingly discontented when he had not found her after an hour of searching. The sheer volume of humans milling about the keep and outer walls was not helping matters as he could not move as swiftly as he'd like. Finally, less than half an hour before the noon meal was to be served in the keep for the company he spotted her.

Nina was exiting the stables in the company of Eomer. Legolas's sensitive ears could pick up the sounds of the Rohirim's captain telling as story of the first time he rode a horse as a child and how the animal had spooked and thrown him into a water trough. That same jealous feeling he'd been consumed with the last time he'd seen the prince of Rohan again consumed him. The affliction was only exacerbated when Nina's laugh rang out and she smiled widely at him. The rational part of his mind knew that Nina did not see Eomer as a potential partner and that she was simply being friendly to one of the only humans who had not treated her as an oddity rather than a person. The rational part of his mind was sadly in the minority in this case and Legolas turned on the spot and retreated before he could make a fool of himself with his raging emotions.

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Nina was looking for Legolas, or Haldir, or anyone that she knew in the stone monstrosity that was Helms Deep. She knew Gimli was in the caves, inspecting the workmanship and the natural mineral deposits in the stone. She assumed Aragorn would be with the King and made a conscious effort to avoid the duo as she could not really stomach more vague platitudes, disparaging comments due to her race and gender, or sweeping speeches about honor and glory at the moment and that was all she would get form Rohan's king.

All that left to her was her brother and Legolas. None of the Galadhirm she'd spoken to had seen Haldir since he'd given them orders to prepare to march that morning and Legolas appeared to have dissolved into thin air. She'd seen him briefly in the healing house when she'd gone to check on her patients but he had gone before she could speak with him. Her conversation with Haldir had only reinforced her desire to have the much needed conversation about the kisses they had shared and what lay in their future. Nina was well aware she was in love with the ellon and was fairly certain he felt something for her in return. Her brother's words had done wonders to her flagging self-esteem and she finally felt as if she had the courage to face the issue head on.

Of course, the moment she is ready to confess her deepest feelings, the ellon disappears. She'd gone over the majority of the fort looking for either ellon before running into Eomer in the stables. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she came across him running a hand along the neck of Tala and smiled as he produced a lump of sugar and held it out for her. It was too late to warn him before she noticed the mischievous light in Tala's glass eyes.

"Watch out!" She exclaimed as the mare scooped up the treat before knocking her head in neck into the man, sending him flying and landing sounding on his back several feel away. "Eomer! Are you well?" She called, running the last few feet between them and exhaling in relief when he groaned and began to rise. "I am so sorry! Tala isn't overly fond of strangers and the only human she's ever let touch her as far as I know is Aragorn." Guilt swamped her as he flexed his back as he finally got to his feel and she was understandably surprised when he started laughing.

"Some horse lord I am being knocked over by a tiny mare" Eomer turned from regarding the innocent looking horse in the stall to the elleth and she saw surprise flit across his eyes once he recognized his audience. "I suppose this means I shant be impressing you with my horsemanship skills" he laughed again and Nina smiled. Here was a man whose entire country was faced with desolation and he was still able to find the humor in small things. She found that to be an admirable if not unusual trait.

"It is not you, my lord. My brother trained her and I am afraid she's become prideful and overly fond of teasing just like him." The man smiled at her and approached the hose, this time being careful to stay out of striking distance.

"I think she is just like every other woman. She enjoys watching men make fools of themselves over her." Nina laughed at the joke and laid a hand on Tala's neck. The mare immediately rubbed her head against Nina's shoulder affectionately and whickered softly. The man looked on, surprised by the clear show of affection between horse and elleth. "In any case, she clearly has a soft spot for you. You said she belongs to your brother?"

Nina could feel his eyes on her as she combed her fingers through Nina's mane. "Haldir loaned her to me before I left Lothlorien with Gandalf several weeks ago. He and my other brothers trained her since she was a foal and like most Elvin horses she's far more than just an animal now."

"You are related to the elf that leads those who came to our aid? Forgive me, my lady but you look nothing alike!" The surprise in Eomer's voice was not unexpected. Adoption was not a common concept in Middle Earth.

"We are not blood kin. I am from the East and came to Lothlorien but several months ago to train with Lady Galadriel as there were no seers in my home. Haldir, Orophin, and Rumil were my guides and instructors when I first arrived and with time we grew close. They've adopted me as their- there isn't a term for it in common. The best translation would be 'sister of the heart' or something of the like." Nina parroted her fake back story hoping Eomer wouldn't ask further questions. It appeared her hopes were fulfilled when he nodded in acceptance of her words.

"I had been wondering where you came by such an odd accent with your common. And forgive me, but your manners are foreign to me as well though that may be more to do with how little experience I have with your kind." Eomer's question made her uncomfortably aware of how familiar she was being- she'd once again fallen into easy conversation with a man she did not really know. When would she learn to adapt to these new rules of interaction.

"We speak a different dialect when I was born. If you think my accent is difficult now you would have been appalled when I first arrived. Haldir made me repeat a simple introduction three times because he could not understand my 'highly unusual pronunciation'. And my manners are an error I am still woefully unable to correct. The rules of interaction are different, more relaxed, where I am from. Males and females hold similar rankings in our society and close personal friendships between genders is commonplace. Even among the elves of Middle Earth there are significantly fewer restrictions than in the realms of men." Realizing what she'd just said was basically an insult to his way of life Nina backpedalled quickly. "I meant no offence. I was simply trying to explain. So many of you have been put off by the way I behave and-"

"Peace my lady!" Eomer interrupted her babble. "You need not make apologies for speaking your mind to me. The familiarity with which you treat men is strange but not a negative mark on your character. Indeed I'm certain my sister is filled with jealousy over your status as an equal among your companions, especially Lord Aragorn." Eomer's smile sent a pang of sadness through her. She did not want Eowyn to dislike her but the woman appeared to have already made her judgment. And now it would be difficult to explain that Aragorn was already in love with another; perhaps Eomer could be of use in this case?

"Yes, she does seem to hold great affection for Aragorn even if such a thing is not wise." Eomer's gaze snapped to her and she could feel his confusion. "Lady Eowyn does not approve of me and I fear I may have somehow offended her in Edoras when we arrived. I do not think she would listen to my words of warning that Aragorn has already fallen in love with another and she with him. Aragorn sees Lady Eowyn as a friend but the jewel he wears around his neck is that of Lady Arwen, Evenstar and daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell. She has forsaken the ships sailing west to the undying lands to remain in the mortal lands with her chosen." Nina's voice was gentle and begged understanding of the man watching her.

"Why has he not told her of this?" Eomer demanded, becoming slightly angry.

"Aragorn had not become aware she harbored such feeling for him until the journey here and you may have heard he fell off a cliff after the attack. I believe he is hoping it is a passing infatuation which will diminish if he does not encourage it. I would rather spare her the pain of losing something that was never hers to lose and of having such affection rebuffed by the object of it." Nina clasped the calming man on the shoulder sympathetically. "Aragorn made his choice many years ago and none of us can afford the distraction of hurt feelings in times like these. I will speak to her if you will not. I simply believe it will be a softer blow coming from her brother." Nina removed her hand and stepped back.

Eomer stood silently for a moment before sighing. "I will speak with her when we return to Edoras. Now, since you've seen me fall over myself, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to lunch?" He asked with an exaggerated bow that made Nina laugh at the self-deprecating humor.

"Of course, my lord. However, if you feel such a small bump deserves favors I will have to set you right. The first time I put tack on a horse he not only knocked me over but also tried to bit me several times. I was battered before I even got on a horse." Nina smiled sadly remembering her first ever riding lesson Mary had brought her to. They'd been slightly late and so there were only a few horses left in the stable when she'd been asked to pick one. Being a stubborn child she'd picked the only horse in the stable that was even mildly mean tempered.

"A few bites are nothing! My first horse was so skittish he jumped at everything. I'd barely settled into the saddle for the first time before he reared and threw me into the water trough. My sister teased me mercilessly for months" Nina laughed as they made their way up the narrow road towards the keep. She thought she saw a flash of light golden hair out of the corner of her eye but when she turned her head to see if it was one of her wayward elves there was nothing there. With that she turned her attention back to Eomer who was going on about all of the horse related mishaps he'd encountered as a child. Nina smiled fondly at the man. It was nice to have a friend, a human friend. The elves and dwarves could not understand what it was to feel human emotions for the most part. Elves felt intensely but had deep-seated control. Humans felt everything at all times though their emotions were more temporary. The disconcerting mix of the breath and constant nature of human emotions as well as the depth and permanence of elvish ones would drive her insane if she let it.

AN: Okay so I didn't get them back to Edoras quite yet but I thought Haldir and Eomer deserved a bit of time. Haldir is being the classic overprotective older brother and Eomer is infatuated with Nina while still managing to be a good friend to her. Legolas' jealousy is getting the best of him. Next time we have Isengard and Edoras and the dreaded conversation about 'feelings'.

~Let me know what you think! Reviews are excellent motivation and feedback is appreciated!~


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: As promised this chapter is chock full of 'feelings' and not much else. Thanks for your support everyone! Please keep the feedback coming; it really helps!

Reminder_: ITALICS_ is Elvish

Happy Reading!

Chapter 14: Clarification and Satisfaction

The afternoon meal was a quiet affair as all those assembled would be rising out to Isengard within the hour. The horses were ready, their bags were packed, and their weapons were cleaned and repaired from the battle. Nina was sorely tempted to disclose what had happened with the hobbits and the Ents but decided not to rob herself of the sight of Gimli's face upon seeing the hobbits feasting on the battlefield.

Nina had found herself seated between Eomer, who had walked her into the keep, and Haldir, who had reappeared at her side the moment they reached the doors. Knowing her brother well, Nina was nervous at his expectant and amused expression. It was the same look he gave her when he and their brothers were about to play a trick on her or commence teasing her relentlessly. She raised an eyebrow in question at him but he simply smiled and shook his head in a non-answer.

The elleth was the only female present in the company which would surely bother Eowyn who had been tasked with leading the refugees of Edoras back to the city under guard from half the Rohirim. If events kept to their predetermined time lines, their company would reach Edoras no more than a day behind Eowyn as they were riding as opposed to walking with the wounded and children.

Several seats to her right and across the table sat Legolas who kept giving her the strangest looks the entire meal. She felt his eyes on her from time to time and each time she looked up to catch his gaze with her own questioning one he would give a look full of clouded and confused emotions she could not read but were still overwhelming in their intensity before looking away again. He almost looked conflicted. The heat in his gaze was reminiscent of the times when they had kissed since reuniting outside Fangorn but there was also something like anger in him that should not place no matter how hard she tried. When the plate were finally cleared Nina made to leave and was shocked to find her wrist caught by none other than Legolas himself who must have sprinted around the table in the mass of moving men to reach her before she departed.

"_One moment of your time please, my friend."_ He said coolly before all but dragging her out of the room and down two successively more dusty halls until he opened a door to the top of the keep and ushered her outside. Once he'd shut the door behind them Nina turned to face him and found that same impossible expression on his face.

When he didn't move to speak after the first minute Nina sighed wearily "I cannot read your mind Legolas. What is it?" Apparently those words were enough because within seconds he was holding her pressed against him and had secured his lips over hers. Nina smiled softly into the kiss and moved her lips over his. If all he wanted was this he could have just done it inside. He clearly wanted to speak with her about something but until he decided to speak with words she would happily enjoy this manner of conversing. When she was about to open her mouth to deep the kiss further Legolas wrenched himself away.

"Why do you spend time in the company of Eomer?" Legolas's question came out as more of a demand and she had to quell her instinct to fight at such a challenging tone.

She simply stared at him askance for a moment before deciding to answer and see where this was going. "I have spoken to Eomer twice in my life. Once you were present and the other I ran into him in the stables when I was looking for you. He walked me back to the keep for lunch. Why?" It was a bizarre line of questioning. Did the ellon not approve of Eomer as a friend for her? Did he believe he had the right to dictate who her friends were? This didn't sound like behavior she'd ever proscribe to Legolas.

"I do not like the way he looks at you." Nina raised an eyebrow at his sullen tone. What on earth was wrong with her friend? He was acting so strangely.

"Why? How does he look at me? He's been nothing but kind since I met him." Perhaps she had misread Eomer's kindness and he was actually making a mockery of her or something of the like. It seemed unlikely but something was clearly bothering Legolas and she didn't want him in such a foul mood if she was going to be trying to have their much needed conversation about their relationship when they got a spare moment.

Legolas looped an arm around her waist and pulled her close again but did not kiss her much to her disappointment. "He looks at you the way I look at you." The ellon locked his eyes on hers and she could feel the heat pooling in her cheeks as she blushed. Oh! Legolas was jealous! If it wasn't so unexpected she would probably find it hilarious. Eomer was nice and fairly good looking but for someone like Legolas to be jealous of anyone was sheer insanity.

Once she recovered herself from the surprise Nina let a small smile cross her face and reached up to cup his cheek reassuringly. "But I do not look at HIM the way I look at YOU." She stated boldly and raised herself up on her toes to give him a light kiss on the lips before pulling back and continuing. "Besides, EVERY woman in this whole place has been looking at you like you're something to eat since the moment they set eyes on you." Legolas's eyes widened in what looked like confusion and she laughed lightly. "Do you really have no idea how unfairly attractive you are?" Nina's question was only half teasing. He was honestly the most attractive male she'd ever seen in either life.

Legolas leaned in and kissed her soundly. The elleth could feel his lips ticking into a small smile as they slid across hers and her hand on his cheeks looped behind his neck to deepen the kiss. When they broke apart for air Nina saw that most of the conflict had left her ellon's eyes and smiled. "Eomer may look at me however he likes; it will not change the fact that I see him only as a friend. He is one of the only humans who does not dislike me for being an odd elleth. Now come, we will be late if we do not hurry!"

She extracted herself from his grasp reluctantly and opened the door to reenter the keep. Legolas took hold of her hand once he'd shut the door behind them and pressed a kiss to the back of it as they made their way towards the stables. Neither took note that their hands remained interlocked until they had to separate to collect their packs and weapons and mount their horses. Only Haldir took note of their near lateness but when he saw the smiles the both wore Nina saw him shake his head and turn away instead of commenting.

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Legolas disliked Eomer so profoundly that it could very well be termed hate. It would have been far easier to ignore the man's presence or possibly even find him simply annoying if he did not insist on being so close to Nina. For the better part of the afternoon ride the man had kept pace at Nina's left and he kept to her right. Legolas had hoped to use this time to possibly continue their conversation from earlier. Having addressed the fact that Nina did not regard Eomer as more than a friend, Legolas assumed she was implying she saw him as more than a friend. He'd been almost certain for some time that she at least partially returned his feelings but he wanted certainty and assurances, especially if she was going to be around a man like Eomer for the foreseeable future.

Once or twice he caught her giving him knowing, slightly sympathetic looks when Eomer would dole out a compliment or offer personal information about himself in hopes of her reciprocating. After several hours in his presence Nina was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation and he knew she could see his every growing tenseness which she responded to with an almost exasperated look that clearly asked 'what do you want me to do about it?' He managed a small smile at the thought that she preferred his company to the man's. Both elves let out a sigh of relief when Théoden called for Eomer to join him at the front of the party.

"Shall we go hide in the back so he cannot find us if he returns?" Nina teased but he knew the offer was a serious one when she nudged Tala to the side of the riding column and slowed her trot to a walk. Legolas followed suit eagerly. They waited until all of the men of the company and the Galadhirm elves had passed (including Haldir who spread them both an exasperated smile) before picking up speed again and following the tail of the party.

For the next hour the elves simply rode in blissful silence, enjoying each other's company. Legolas wished to speak to her but found the idea of not being able to reach out and touch her during conversation very disheartening. Their talk would have to wait until the company stopped for the evening and Nina said farewell to her brother. When the horn call to stop the march came both elves led their horses up the column to find Haldir, knowing he wouldn't leave without a farewell form his sister.

Nina hopped off Tala mid stride in a graceful but reckless move that had Legolas wondering how she'd survived her time as a breakable human. She walked swiftly up to the Marchwarden and allowed him to fold her into a hug. He heard their softly spoken goodbye and a promise form Nina that she would make time to see all of her brothers when she returned to Lothlorien in a little over a week. Legolas forcibly pushed the thought of their impending separation out of his mind. He could only deal with one issue at a time. When Haldir looked to him Legolas smiled and spoke, "_It did my heart good to see you again my friend. I hope we shall see each other again soon. Safe travels."_ Haldir nodded in acknowledgment and with that the Galadhirm turned as one and began marching to the distant forest of Lothlorien.

Legolas dismounted and slipped an arm around Nina's waist as was becoming habit. Seeing her so sad at the parting was enough to cause his own sorrow. Once the Galadhirm had disappeared over the crest of the hill Nina took a deep breath next to him and looped an arm around his middle to give him an impulsive half hug before grabbing Tala's lead and smiling. "We should find Aragorn, Gimli, and Mithrandir." She suggested tilting her head to the head of the halted procession.

"Let us go" he agreed and fell in step beside her as they made their way to the front of the column. The soldiers were clearly well practiced in the art of making a quick camp as most of the riders had picketed their horses and were in the process of making small campfires in groups of ten or so. Much to Legolas' pleasure the fire the other members of the Fellowship were seated at was less than ten feet from the treeline.

Legolas was running several possible ways to convince Nina to speak with him alone later through his mind when she spoke. "Could we talk later tonight? I fear we are long overdue for a conversation." The ellon couldn't help but notice the blush that stained her face and smiled.

"Of course, Nina." He'd slowly found himself using the Elvish term for 'my friend' less and less as he came to regard her as something well beyond a friend. Nina's answering smile made him wish they were alone he could kiss her again.

"There you are!" Gimli's gruff voice bellowed from the fire pit. "Eomer here said you two disappeared more than an hour ago! We were starting to think you'd run off!" Legolas laughed at the accuracy of his statement. They had been hiding.

"We went back to speak with Haldir, you probably just lost us in the crowd of 'pointy ears' master dwarf" Nina teased, easily deflecting the attention from their absence and onto Gimli's apparently contradictory sentiments about elves.

"Well you two aren't too bad but the rest of that lot isn't worth picking over to find you!" The dwarf protested halfheartedly and Legolas laughed. The friendship between him and Gimli was unexpected and unconventional to say the least. Nina shook her head and took Arod's reigns from his hand before taking both horses to picket them by the rest. He noticed she left Tala unfettered and marveled again at how well trained Haldir's horse was. Tala chose that moment to prance around the tied down horses as if mocking them for their masters lack of trust and quickly rephrased his thought. Tala was not well trained she was simply too smart to run away.

Nina returned moments later and dropped her pack on the ground next to Gimli before settling herself down on top of it and removing her weapons. Legolas followed suit and tried not to let his gaze linger too long on the elleth's form as she bent to remove a large knife strapped to her thigh. If the eyebrow Aragorn raised at him in surprise form across the fire was any indication he was not all that successful.

Food was produced from the bags of those assembled and Gimli volunteered to cook, lamenting the absence of the hobbits who had been exceptionally handy to have around at meal times. The rest of the evening was spent listening to the songs the soldiers sung and the tales of old battles passed around by the King, Eomer, and Théoden's advisors at the Fellowship's fire. Once the rest of their companions had finally taken their rest Legolas stood and offered Nina a hand. She smiled nervously but allowed him to pull her up and allowed him to lead her into the bordering trees. The walked in silence for several minutes until the noises coming from camp were barely audible and finally Legolas sopped near a fallen log which he pulled her to sit down on.

"First," he said lightly before pulling her into a quick but thorough kiss that lasted quite a bit longer than he'd intended. Once he managed to pull away from the addictive feel of her soft and eager lips against his own and the intimate caress of her tongue against his he smiled widely. "I've wanted to do that since we left." He admitted shamelessly.

"You won't hear any complaints from me." Nina said breathlessly, leaning her head back on his shoulder. Legolas took a moment to revel in how natural the casual intimacy of the moment felt. He'd noticed before just how reflexive reaching out to touch the elleth constantly had become and as opposed to being alarmed by the sudden change Legolas was reveling in the closeness.

Taking a bracing breath Legolas decided it was time to speak before he lost his nerve again. "How much do you know about romantic relationships among our kind?" He asked and tried not to laugh when she stiffened slightly in his arms. The ellon drew small comforting circles on Nina's back as she internally debated her response.

"I know elves only ever fall in love once and that sex is tantamount to marriage for you." Nina replied, refusing to look him in the eye but Legolas could see the strong blush crossing her face and wished to reassure her.

"Look at me little one." He requested, tilting her head up so her could look her in the eye. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about. I simply wanted to be certain you'd understand me fully. I am aware that the middle of a war that could be the death of us all is not the ideal time for either of us to discover we have romantic feelings for another but clearly the Valar have a different opinion. I am in love with you and I wish to keep you with me as my mate, match, and wife until the end of our days." Nina was staring at him with a stunned and slightly vacant expression that sent him backpedaling "I will understand if you-"his words were cut short when she laid a hand over his mouth to stop him.

A smile more beautiful than the ellon had seen in his thousands of years on the earth bloomed on his elleth's face. "I love you too. I am now and will always be yours." She stated simply and replaced her hand with her lips. Caught up in the overwhelming joy radiating inside his chest Legolas pulled the elleth onto his lap and immediately deepened the kiss. He'd always tried to retain some sense of himself in their previous exchanges but now, with the only elleth he could ever love having agreed to tie herself to him, Legolas let go. He crushed her to him, leaving no space between their bodies and traced every inch of her that he could reach with eager hands. Now was not the time for them to become bonded but soon… soon when all of this was over he would take her for his own and would not be separated from her at all if he could help it.

It was only when he began to feel light headed that he separated his mouth from hers for more than a moment. "When the war is over I will make you my wife." There was no uncertainty in his tone. All the petty emotions he'd felt when she was in the presence of other males now seemed so pointless. How could he be jealous when she proclaimed herself to be his?

"I am very happy to hear that." Nina's chest still rose and fell rapidly as she regulated her breathing and the ellon took several moments to imprint the memory of her looking like this into his memory. Her black hair was wild form the days ride as well as his hands. Her face was still flushed with color and her lips were swollen and kiss bruised in a most enticing way. The almost childlike joy and lightness he could see swimming in her bright green eyes felt like an answer to the insane happiness in his own chest.

Nina buried her head in the crook of his neck and laid several very enticing kisses across the junction lightly. "Can we stay here tonight? It's much more fun to incite gossip when it is deserved." Before he could answer she slipped out of his hold and seated herself on the mossy ground in front of their makeshift bench, patting the ground beside her in mock invitation. The ellon was only too happy to oblige the request and slid to the ground next to her before pulling her into his lap in a move that was quickly becoming a favorite perk of their newly declared mutual affections.

Nina quickly took advantage of her new seating arrangements and playfully pinned his shoulders to the mossy ground, following him into the horizontal position and fusing her lips with his. Legolas couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for how many liberties he'd already taken with his elleth. Elves may be more physically affectionate and open as a rule but intimate contact was unilaterally only initiated between married pairs. Of course, Nina had expressed –several times, loudly and vividly- how little matters of propriety were followed in her birth world. She certainly was not complaining as his hand slipped under the back of her tunic to trace absent patterns on the bare skin of her back. Indeed, it was her that began striping him of his tunic in response. They both knew that their interactions needed to come to a halt before actual intercourse but Legolas couldn't help but feel alternatingly elated and smug moments of satisfaction as Nina made it clear with her actions that she was most certainly not opposed to them becoming more intimately acquainted then and there.

It was not until he noticed she was trying to slip out of her own tunic that Legolas put a stop to things. Valar knew he wanted to see his elleth, his future wife, in such an unclothed state but she was clearly overestimating his self-control. Reluctantly, Legolas rolled them over so that he was hovering over her prone body with most of his weight braced on his forearms on either side of her shoulders. "If you begin taking off your clothing I cannot be certain we will not be bonded before sunrise." The ellon buried his face in the crook of her neck and whispered to her while laying kisses along her neck in a mirror to what she'd done to him earlier. "As much as I want nothing more than to have you irrevocably tied to me in every way imaginable, I would perhaps be more prudent to wait for the end of the war," Legolas looked around at their surroundings absently to distract himself from the reality of their position "and perhaps a bed" he added jokingly as his eyes came back to rest on hers.

The mix of frustration and resignation was oddly gratifying and Legolas couldn't resist initiating another long kiss but kept the pace considerably slower than their earlier passionate urgency. Legolas could feel his body returning to his control bit by bit as they continued their slower exchanges. When Nina broke away from his mouth she was still breathing irregularly but it was nothing compared to the heaves of air they'd been gasping for before. "I sort of hate that you're right" the elleth grumbled with her eyes closed. Legolas let out a startled laugh which was cut short as she continued; now meshing her gaze with his warmly. "Besides, I'll be leaving soon and I will need more than a few days with you after we're married." Legolas felt his mind simultaneously go blank and fill with images and interpretations of what she'd said but eventually found it within him to return his impish grin. The ellon eventually just shook his head good naturedly and tipped them both over onto their sides.

He had, of course, been intending to propose they bind themselves together for some time but it appeared the reality of the situation was reminding him of some aspects of their coming nuptials he'd neglected to think about. "We'll need to have an official ceremony before we bind ourselves." Legolas's voice was soft and hesitant. He knew human woman were generally enamored with weddings in the human fashion which he understood were full of religion and ceremony. An Elvish binding ceremony would be far simpler and was generally not performed as it was redundant but for the heir of Mirkwood… this would be mandatory. He hoped Nina would not be too displeased by the extended obligations shed unknowingly agreed to.

"Ceremony?" The elleth tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"The tradition is old and mostly disused and were I any other ellon you could probably forgo the entire thing but…" he trailed off. There were moments he hated being the king's son. Nina still had insecurities about being without a traditional family in a world that was so heavily centered around parentage. He knew this. Certainly her brothers would stand up for her in the ceremony and he had a feeling the lady had made more friends among Galadriel's people than she knew but Legolas was aware it was not the same as having her father and surrogate grandmother there. "Perhaps I can convince my father. I do not want to make you uncomfortable." Legolas tried to sooth the confused elleth.

"Legolas I am not objecting to a ceremony; I simply did not know one existed. The only elf I have ever seen get married was a future for Arwen and Aragorn but they get married in the human tradition. What is an elven ceremony? I thought that… well I thought you just had sex and it was done." She was blushing again and Legolas let out a breath he had been unaware he was holding. He'd misread surprise for anxiety.

"It is similar to the humans hand fasting ceremony. IT is simply symbolic and would be completely unnecessary if I was not certain my father would have my head for depriving him of an opportunity to give our people an occasion to celebrate. I've never had a very active position in court as I am a warrior but I am still the heir." He felt more than saw Nina nodding in contemplation.

"Can my brothers come? I assume we would have it in Mirkwood and I know how your father is about visitors" Legolas smiled at her reference to the problems Bilbo's company had run into among his people.

The ellon was quick to assure her "Nina, I am fairly certain half of Caras Galadhon will be in attendance. It is not every day a prince marries the Lady of Light's favored apprentice" Nina's eyes widened slightly before she burst out laughing. "What is it?" He asked curiously. He loved that she was laughing as it was one of his new favorite sounds but he was curious to its cause.

"It's nothing, just, a few years before I came from my world the son of a monarch across the sea in England married a woman from my country. It was the topic of gossip across the entire world for months before and after the event. Hundreds of thousands of people either attended or watched it on the television. I'm simply hoping we could manage to be slightly less conspicuous than that royal wedding" Legolas remembered Nina's description of the television and she had mentioned England before as the place form where her partner-healer had come from.

"We shall try to keep the guests to less than thousands," Legolas replied in a mock-serious tone which set Nina laughing again before he became serious for real and asserted a second factor "there also will not be months for anyone to speculate about our match. As far as I'm concerned I am dragging you to Mirkwood the moment we are free from battle and once your brothers are able to make the journey I will be taking you as my own." Legolas had found, over time, that he enjoyed the surprised yet pleased look Nina's face took on when he spoke of their future so confidently. He also enjoyed the kiss she initiated immediately following such statements and was elated when this instance proved to follow the pattern.

"I have no problem with that." She eventually stated once they'd broken apart again. "However, we may wish to wait a day so we can see Aragorn's face when Arwen shows up to his coronation. I'm also willing to be the look on everyone's face when they marry immediately following his receiving his crown will be entertaining." Loathe as he was to waste a moment Legolas had to agree that he should probably be at the coronation of the King in waiting.

"I suppose." He agreed halfheartedly. Legolas again marveled at the sheer usefulness of her foreknowledge. That thought made him sit up with a start, taking Nina with him as not to dislodge her. "The child I saw in the mirror, did you know she would be ours?" He had never considered if Nina knew their futures intertwined in such a way. Somehow he doubted it. His elleth was not the type to keep such information to herself.

"No. Galadriel made it clear to me that my purpose is to ease the path of others. Knowing my own future is not part of the task the Valar have given me. I'd seen the image in passing and I know how the idea of elflings appeals to you after how you reacted to my age so I put it in the scenes I showed you." The elleth was clearly annoyed that such information was out of her reach and Legolas bit back a smile- she was blind to her own future just like everyone else.

"And does the idea of elflings appeal to you?" She'd never spoken her own feeling on the subject and he was curious despite knowing they would have a son in that likely future she'd shown him.

"I love children. I'd become a sort of honorary aunt to my working partner's children in the ears before I came here and I worked with children a lot. The idea had always scared me a little though. I suppose the last time I really considered the idea I was in a very different place in my life let alone a different place all together. I find I'm much more receptive to the idea of YOUR elflings than I was of the abstract." The ellon decided to express his please with that sentiment by pulling her back to the ground with him and effectively ending any possible conversation by taking over her lips. Legolas was absently thankful that elves needed so much less rest than humans. Between the passionate kisses and comfortable conversation it was less than two hours before sunrise when the pair took their rest.

AN: Okay it is taking far longer than I'd planned to get the gang back to Edoras and I'm starting to think I'm just trying to avoid separating the elves for as long as possible. Oh well, it must be done! Anyway I hope you enjoyed an entire chapter of fluff… yeah not sure how that happened…

Let me know what you thought!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien

AN: Sorry about the wait- traveling with super intermittent internet access put a damper on the whole writing thing. Anyway, we're finally getting on a bit with the plot. Keep up the feedback! You guys are great!

Side-note: If you haven't figured out by now that I'm shamelessly using elements from the books and movies that work best for my plot, mashing them up, and calling it a day this is your warning. Also, I have no beta and some of you have commented on spelling/grammar issues. If anyone wants to volunteer I'd be grateful!

Happy Reading!

Chapter 15: Confirmations

Nina woke to the feeling of being weighed down slightly. A moment of exploration of the warm weight lying across her stomach confirmed that she was indeed resting against Legolas in the exact position they'd fallen asleep in. Her head lay on the ellons shoulder and his arm wrapped possessively around her, keeping her close to him in sleep. As much as the elleth wished she could continue lying in the intimate embrace or wake him to continue their kisses from the night before it was approaching dawn.

"Legolas, wake up." Nina turned more onto her side to look the sleeping ellon in the eye as she swept some of his lose blond hair out of his face. He closed his eyes for a moment and tightened his hold on her before opening his eyes again in true wakefulness.

The ellon shot her a grin so full of satisfaction that it stopped her breath for a moment. He truly was stunning. Taking advantage of her distraction Legolas placed a light kiss on her lips before pulling her with him as he sat up. "_Good morning, my love_." The murmured elvish greeting seemed so natural coming from his lips and Nina couldn't help but smile back at him. This was really happening. Last night was not a wonderful dream but real.

"Good morning Legolas. We need to move if we're going to make it back before dawn." Nina placed a small kiss on his cheek and motioned to the light beginning to turn the dark sky grey with morning light. The ellon nodded and finally released her from his hold to redo the now hopelessly unraveled braids that stated at his temples. Nina watched with unconcealed fascination as his deft fingers plaited the hair into the complex knots in moments. Seeing her almost jealous stare Legolas laughed. He motioned for her to turn with a wave of his hand and Nina complied immediately. She was uncomfortable with maids and servants but she really did enjoy other people playing with her hair. She was mostly hopeless at anything beyond a basic braid and she fondly remembered the times Mary had French braided her hair as a child or when she'd created complicated but beautiful up-dos for prom and school formals. It appeared that having Legolas's hands in her hair was a vastly different experience than what she'd expected.

The casual intimacy was just as lulling as it had been in the past but somehow it being Legolas performing such a domestic task caused warmth to grow in her chest. He combed the long black mass of wavy hair through his fingers slowly and she felt him picking out bits of leaf and small twigs from their rolling around the night before. He broke her hair into more parts than she'd expected and it felt like there were actual multiple complex braids starting from different parts of her skull which fed into each other and interweaved until he tucked several stray strands under his masterpiece and turned her back to face him with a smile on his face. "Thank you." She said with a kiss on his lips and put a hand to the back of her head to feel the ellons creation. "How did you learn to do that?"

"My mother taught me when I was an elfling before she sailed." The ellons eyes were full of bittersweet longing at the memory and Nina couldn't help but feel guilty for bringing it up. He shook his head as if banishing the melancholy mood that had suddenly overtaken their little clearing. "We should return to camp." He rose and offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet and into his embrace. Nina was beginning to think their newly realized relationship would be common knowledge before they knew it. Between Legolas' apparent need to maintain contact if at all possible and the strong urge to kiss him every time he smiled she was currently fighting they would certainly be discovered within moments of returning to camp. Legolas straightened her tunic before retrieving his own from where she'd tossed it the night before and putting it on. The small pout that accompanied her pang of regret as he covered himself startled a laugh out of the ellon who took her hand and kissed the back of it before interlacing their fingers and pulling her in the direction of camp.

"So… are going to tell people? I mean besides the fellowship?" She was certain a betrothed couple traveling together and spending so much time alone together was frowned upon by what Nina saw as archaic rules of propriety. Would Legolas seek to minimize the rumors of their uncouth behavior by keeping the nature of their relationship quiet? She sincerely hoped not and wasn't entirely certain it wouldn't be impossible anyway. She and Legolas couldn't help but touch when they interacted and Gimli would likely shout the news to the entire company anyway.

"Unless you have any objection I would like to." Nina shook her head and smile, squeezing his hand in affirmation. It appeared they would be in for quite a bit of teasing.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Legolas was convinced he had never been so happy. Waking up with his elleth in his arms was growing to be a dangerous habit and he had a feeling he would miss the feel of her against him as he slept when she left on her mysterious next quest. Frowning slightly, Legolas squeezed the hand he was still holding as they approached the treeline by camp. "When are you leaving us again?" He asked quietly half out of curiosity and half to distract her as they came into sight of the camp. There were few people awake at the early hour but Legolas noted Gandalf was among them and the wizard was watching with an amused smile. As forward as Nina appeared she truly was far shyer about discussing private matters in public than most knew. Keeping her thoughts away from the gossip that had no doubt started the moment the first sentry saw them return to camp was likely for the best.

"We'll catch up with Pippin and Merry, return to Edoras, celebrate for one night and then I'll ride out in the morning." Nina said frowning slightly. "If all goes well I'll make it to Lothlorien for a few days, complete my task, and meet up with you in short order." It appeared he wasn't the only one uneasy about their coming separation and he tried not to feel too gratified that she shared his discomfort. "Would you be willing to play messenger for me again? You'll be running into someone I don't have the time to visit myself." Legolas was intrigued by the request and had to forcibly tamp down the urge to question her for details. He'd learned early on that she would give him as much information as possible the moment she could. Instead he simply nodded and basked in the happy smile she shot him in return.

The elves picked their way over to the Fellowship's camp and Legolas felt the tensing of Nina's muscles as she noticed Gandalf was awake. "Good morning Mithrandir." Legolas greeted the wizard lightly; he'd begun rubbing small circles on the elleth's hand, hoping to calm the nervous girl.

The wizard simply raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Good morning Legolas, Nina. Did you sleep well?" The teasing tone was unmistakable and when Legolas darted a glance to his loves face she was turning a very fetching red color from embarrassment.

"Very much so." Legolas asserted, releasing her captive hand only to wrap his arm around her waist in a comforting gesture. If, as a side effect of this attempt to make her feel better, he managed to make his partnership with the elleth clear then Legolas was not going to complain. Nina simply blushed a deeper shade of red and muttered something under her breath that sounded like "teasing jerks".

The ellon decided to take pity on the embarrassed elleth and set about making her feel at ease. "There is no need to be ill at ease. None of our friends would judge you poorly; we have done nothing wrong." Nina took a deep breath, staring at her hands as she fidgeted and simply leaned her head against his shoulder in recognition. Gandalf took that moment to join him in reassuring the frazzled girl.

"My dear, I believe congratulations are in order?" He asked with a sincere smile. Legolas suppressed a laugh as she removed her face from where it was buried in his shoulder to meet the wizard's eye and nod in affirmation. Gandalf's smile widened, "Well then there is nothing to be embarrassed about. You will be pleased to know that Gimli has lost quite a bit of coin to Pippin. I believe our Master Dwarf was rather certain neither of you would act upon your feelings until after the fighting ended." The twinkle of amusement in Gandalf's eyes was unmistakable and Legolas could feel Nina shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Poor Gimli" Nina said, layering her voice with false sympathy before seeming to consider something. She turned her head up to look at him and a mischievous smile crossed her face. "Do you suppose this simply gives him another reason to dislike elves?"

"I would not be surprised my dear." The wizard laughed before getting up and wandering towards the small collection of king's advisors who looked to be making breakfast at the next fire.

The elves reveled in the uninterrupted quiet of the moment and Legolas decided to soak in the unexpected comfort of just having her near. He had spent his life combating the darkness which was poisoning his home and longed for the days that the Mirkwood could once again be worthy of its former title. The end of this war and the demise of this evil had been a focal point in his life since his first memory and yet he had never been so impatient for peacetime as he was the moment Nina had agreed to marry him. Thoughts of introducing her to his people (who would undoubtedly love her and would likely adore her odd behavior) and thoughts of the elfling he had seen in the future she'd shown him the day they met consumed his mind. In the back of his mind the elfling had been an ever present thought since she'd shown him that image but now it seemed so much more tangible. He would be _their_ child, a piece of Nina as well as him.

Legolas was pulled from his thoughts by a slight tensing of Nina's shoulders and quickly caught the source of her sudden tension. One of the Kings advisors, a man named Derof who had made his distaste for elves quite clear at Helms Deep, was headed right for them. "Good morning, my Lord." He addressed the pompous man, hoping in vain to preserve some of the peace from the moment before the stupid human had decided to ruin the morning.

"The King requests that you and your…Lady rouse the rest of your company as we will be leaving once everyone has been fed." From the corner of his eye Legolas saw other soldiers moving down the row of camps to wake the remaining men and nodded in assent. He had heard the distain in Derof's voice and would like nothing more than to force the man into apologizing for his tone but deeply trained court behavior saved him from acting on the impulse.

"_I want to hit him."_ He heard Nina mutter so quietly that he doubted the human could hear her even if he did understand Elvish. It took considerable willpower not to laugh at the disgruntled declaration.

"_You can hit him after we eat, or better yet tell Gimli to tell him the story about the time he and his father got lost in the marsh for a month. That is punishment enough."_ Nina shook with silent laughter and Legolas looked up in surprise when the man cleared his throat indignantly. Legolas assumed he would have been a significantly more interesting shade of red if he'd know what the discrete whisper was actually about.

"Was there something else Lord Derof?" Why would this man not go away?

"I would also request that you keep your 'interactions' private. I am sure Elves are far freer with their liaisons but as you are traveling with the King it would behoove you to display a bit more decorum in public." Legolas sat in shock for a moment staring at the arrogant man's face. His stupor was broken when Nina literally exploded out of his lose hold.

The enraged elleth was standing less than a foot away from the startled man in less time than it would have taken him to blink. To Legolas' surprise she did not hit him but fixed him with a cold gaze and a false smile. "Lord Derof has your dislike for our kind blinded you to the obvious or are you simply stupid?" The man's face went red in anger and moved to speak but a raised hand form Nina was enough to silence him. "Firstly, the behavior of those not in your house is not for you to dictate. We are not your family, your vassals, or your underlings and thus you have no power over us except that which we allow you. Second, as your King has said nothing to either of us in the many council meetings and private meals we have shared with him I am confident that he is unaware that you are currently insulting two of his personal guests. Now I think it would be best for you to run along before my patience wears out and I decide to hurt you." The thoroughly chastised man stood in shock for a moment before his mind caught up with his body and he stormed off muttering obscenities loudly enough that even the men in the area could hear him.

Legolas was forcing down laughter at the sight of his diminutive betrothed turning back to him and smiling innocently as if she hadn't just dressed down one of the most respected men in the Kingdom. "I believe the man said something about breakfast." Legolas mentioned with an unrestrained grin as he took custody of her hand and tugged her in the direction of their sleeping companions with the intent of waking them. Nina's answering grin was brilliant as she all but skipped off to nudge Gimli with her foot, wisely jumping out of range after waking the raging dwarf. The ellon shook his head indulgently as he knelt next to the ranger who had clearly been awake for some time.

"I would have much preferred it if she'd actually hit the man." Aragorn muttered as he sat up. "Somehow I think she's only managed to earn herself yet another enemy." The ranger's tone suggested the list of those who did not wish the elleth well was quite a bit longer than Legolas had expected.

"Just how bad is it?" Legolas asked quietly. He and Nina had been together nearly constantly since meeting and he wondered if Aragorn had heard more away from them then he was able to in her presence. His interest had been sparked when Nina had said Eomer was 'one of the only humans' who didn't dislike her. Was the situation worse than he'd expected?

"There isn't one among the ladies of Rohan who look on her kindly. This kingdom is run on older values than most and her status as warrior is enough to ruin whatever reputation she could have. And she is an elf; unfortunately your kind is not trusted in these lands." Legolas nodded sadly. Nina had asserted the same concerns several times before. He'd begun to feel small pangs of regret at making her friendship with Eomer a source on contention. As much as he was an outsider among these men she was doubly so. Nina was a human woman from a land with drastically different societal norms who had become an elleth with the same marked upbringing. She identified so strongly with the subset of people who accepted her least.

The ellon shot a glance over his shoulder when he heard Gimli shout "What!?" at the top of his lungs and proceeded to gape at the elleth opening and closing his mouth without words. He caught the elleth's eye and mouthed his question, smirking when she nodded in affirmation. She had told Gimli their news. Aragorn fixed him with a curious look, clearly hoping to be clued in.

"I believe Nina has shared the news with Gimli. We are betrothed and will marry as soon as some sort of peace has been attained." Aragorn smiled at him and clapped his shoulder in congratulations though Legolas could see the shadow of grief in his eyes. Not for the first time he wished he could share the news about Arwen's choice to stay in Middle Earth but he understood Nina's caution. All of the Ranger's concentration needed to be on the coming battles. Deciding to distract the man from his melancholy he grasped his arm and dragged him to his feet, giving him a light show I the direction of the King's camp. Breakfast would solve nothing but at least the man could brood on a full stomach.

-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

Gimli's reaction was about what Nina had expected. After the initial exclamation and momentary speechlessness he'd given her a rough hug and begun spouting off that he'd know it all along and how it was about time. Out of the corner of the elleth's eye she saw Aragorn smiling in response to Legolas' revelation and she felt an unprecedented surge of warmth. All of the people important to her supported them. She had not actually spoken to Orophin or Rumil yet but she was fairly certain Haldir was going to have the rowdy Ellyn prepared for her announcement when she saw them. As much as she was excited to return to the place which had felt the most like home since her arrival in middle Earth, Nina was dreading the impending separation from Legolas. For a moment the elleth felt mildly disgusted with herself. She had always mocked the girls who made their boyfriend's their whole world when they started a new relationship. Then again, this was no simple boyfriend who would be out of her life in a matter of weeks. She and Legolas were going to be mated and married for life (and considering they could conceivably live forever, for life was a serious commitment). There would be no next boy for her. Elves only loved once and they did it so intensely any human emotion she may have known if she'd stayed in her world paled in comparison. It took her a moment to realize Gimli had stopped talking and tried to remember what he'd asked. 'Why I woke him, right.' She thought sheepishly. "There's breakfast and then we're leaving." She explained belatedly and followed Gimli as he began walking (unusually quickly as if excited for the coming meal) towards the King's camp and the rest of their company.

The pair found open space on a fallen log next to Aragorn and claimed it quickly. They were served identical bowls of porridge and nuts almost immediately after they arrived and Gimli dove into the meal. "_Congratulations, my friend. I wish you and Legolas happiness._" Aragorn said, leaning around Gimli. For once the dwarf did not complain about the language switch. The elleth smiled at him and noticed the same gloom Legolas had spotted earlier.

Nina patted his shoulder comforting and wracked her brain for a way to make him feel better without causing herself a headache with intersecting timelines. Vague seemed to be the best path. "_Aragorn, you will be happy again. I swear to you there is always hope._" The ranger raised an eyebrow attempting to suss out what she meant but seemed to eventually take it as the simple assurance and comfort she'd meant it as.

"_The elleth does see the future, Aragorn. Perhaps it would be wise to believe her._" Legolas' voice sounded from Aragorn's other side and the Ranger began looking between the two elves suspiciously. Nina simply smiled at him and tried not to be amused by his clear confusion.

Eventually the man relented and turned to Legolas, "Have you sent a message to your father yet?" His words caused Nina to pause in bringing her spoon to her lips, suddenly not interested in her food. This was a conversation she definitely wanted to hear.

"No. I considered sending a message with Haldir of my intentions but we hadn't yet made our intentions known to each other." Nina nodded despite the fact that he was not talking to her before something obvious occurred to her. "I can carry something to Lothlorien at the end of the week if you'd like." She offered, leaning back on the log to catch his eye.

"You're leaving again?" Aragorn questioned. Clearly this was the first he'd heard of it. He seemed surprisingly sad to see her go. Aragorn was her friend but they had not become as close as she and the other members had.

"I have something I need to do. First, however I need to consult with the Lady so I'll be riding to Lothlorien after the company returns to Edoras." Aragorn nodded, accepting her vague reasoning.

"I would appreciate it if you could carry a message for my father. Lady Galadriel should be able to get it to him from Lothlorien." Her ellon smiled and Nina tried not to grin back. This was insane; every time he smiled at her she felt like she'd just won a prize or something. As insane as these moments made her feel they also strengthened her resolve to accomplish her next self-appointed task. Nina simply nodded, not certain she could actually speak at the moment.

Deciding to take a step back before she gave herself away, Nina handed her remaining food over to Gimli who was staring at the bottom of his bowl almost longingly and headed in the direction of Gandalf who was speaking with Shadowfax near the other horses. The wizard looked up when Shadowfax's ears pricked forward and smiled welcomingly to her.

"Could I speak to you in confidence" she asked him as she held her hand out for the Lard of all Horses' inspection. The beautiful stallion lipped her skin and she took that as a command to pet him. The wizard watched how she handled the horse and seemed to be considering her request carefully before he nodded. "What do you know about the sea longing?"

AN: So…this chapter… not one of my favorites. Anyway next up we finally have Isengard and Edoras for sure. The chapter is half written (since a large part of it got cut from this chapter when I realized it was turning into a monster…) and should but up in the next 48 hours at most.

Let me know what you think!


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